Jason Boone, Jordan Boone, Liana Garza, George Mendoza, Andrea Romeros, and Rodrigo Velasquez

Language as a Way of Knowing

Guiding Quotes
“Language is not only the vehicle of thought, it is a great and efficient instrument in thinking.” –
Humphrey Davy

“With a knowledge of the name comes a [more distinct] recognition and knowledge of the
thing.” – Henry David Thoreau

“The limits of my language stand for the limits of my world.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein

Key Points

 Language is an incredibly rich and complex thing.

o Note: Language can be non-spoken.
 Language is a neutral, transparent tool for communication.
 Language is a value-laden system of persuasion and implication.

Main Idea
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (Linguistic Determinism):
Our thoughts are completely limited by our language.

Main People
Chomsky
Meaning is not at all straightforward.
Four Fundamental Questions:

 What do we know when we are able to speak and understand a language?

 How is this knowledge acquired?
 How do we use this knowledge?
 What are the physical mechanisms involved in the representation, acquisition,
and use of this knowledge?

Ludwig Wittgenstein
Language gives us a representation of the world, and the nature of this representation is
fundamentally limiting.

Language does not provide a good description of the world.

References
Mokusatsu by Heathcote Williams (p. 267 in Second Edition or p. 203 in First Edition)

Eternal Question: To what extent is thought dependent on knowledge?