The Relationship between Thinking and Language
Language is an essential part of any human intercourse. Language is everywhere as far as it is what makes people unique and assists in all activities. Language is defined as the process of sharing thoughts. From this definition, it is seen that language is interconnected with thinking. Thus, thinking is what happening in people’s heads before they decide to tell something. However, the relationship between thought and language is rather a controversial phenomenon nowadays. Some scholars consider that thought and language are connected while others insist on the idea that there is no relationship between them.
Cognitive scientists support the idea that thinking exists separately from the language. Words are just names to objects and phenomena that already exist in human minds. Cognitive science aims to prove that language does not affect the way people think. The most vivid example is the new-born child who has not studied any words yet. Since the first days, this child realizes that there are particular objects around him or her. These objects and people are parents, first toys and everything else. The child knows all of them. When the child starts to learn words, he or she just acquires new names and human vocabulary.
The other possible point of view relates to the fact that language is impossible without a thought. Even more, the mother tongue influences one’s perception of the world. I am the supporter of this option. There are many nationalities with various languages in the world. All languages have something in common. They are used for expression of thoughts. Thus, the person first thinks and then says. There are also peculiarities of every language. These particular features can affect the way people think. That is why persons who speak a particular language may have different relations towards the same notions.
Words That Have Changed Their Traditional Meaning Due To the Recent Culture
The lexicon of modern people has been widely enriched in the last few decades. The first enrichment occurred with the invention of computers while the second happened with the rise of the Internet and social media. The inventors of computers and the developers of the Internet have used many traditional words with extremely new meanings. The expansion of definitions is a usual practice nowadays.
Many traditional words describe the constituents of the computer and various technological phenomena. The first word that crosses my mind is the “mouse”. My parents had no idea that the “mouse” could be something else than the small animal. Nowadays, it is a usual word that possesses the meaning of “a piece of equipment”. One more word is “address”. Few years ago, this term was used to describe the geographical location. Nowadays, there are various types of addresses. Thus, one can ask for IP address or e-mail address. The “virus” is one more instance. It had the meaning of the “infective agent in medicine”. Today, it is a kind of harmful program damages the computer.
Several words from social media are also worthwhile mentioning. For example, “to troll” had the meaning “to search, to circulate”. In social media, it means “to provoke someone for some action that lead to being nervous and excited”. “Stream” had the meaning of “flow of water”. Today, it is a variety of news, files, photos, and other content that is available online.