Relating Thoughts to Language Essay

Language is defined to be words that are used in a structured way so that it could be used as a way of communication between people. It can be spoken, written or even understood through body gestures. Thoughts on the other hand, are the things that runs in a person’s mind. Our thoughts and ideas are shared with other people through language. People often use language to express what they are thinking of. Thoughts are not necessarily need to be spoken, they can also be written down or analyzed. This quote â€Å"Thoughts is not merely expressed in words; it comes into existence through them† by Vygotsky basically means that thoughts do not exist until they are spoken or used by people in any form of language. For example, if a person has a new idea related to a specific subject, this idea doesn’t come into existence unless the person uses language to express it. People need to communicate with each other using language to express their thoughts. Thus, thoughts and language are strongly related to each other. In some cases, a barrier might be found in expressing thoughts through language. That might be due to lack of words or finding the exact word that expresses what a person is thinking. Also, the different spoken languages might cause a barrier or a misunderstanding between two people. For example, a Western man and an Arab man might face difficulties with using language because both of them use language differently. That might stop them from expressing their thoughts to each other. Teachers in school explain their thoughts to the students through language. The IB math teacher for example, always gives the students an example that she thought of to explain her lesson. Apart from the book, she also shares her own thoughts and ideas to give us a better understanding of the lesson. In IB math, thoughts are not expressed through spoken or written words. They are usually expressed through different symbols that makes sense only after using language. Discoveries by various scientists wouldn’t have been into existence if they hadn’t expressed their thoughts some way or the other. In IB business, thoughts are commonly expressed through written words and numbers. Language is very important in studying business because people usually speak and discuss different study cases using language. Also, people tend to share new ideas from their thoughts using business. The IB business teacher for instance, uses different gestures if the students don’t quite understand what she said. She uses more than one form of language to deliver her thoughts to her students. Cultural differences allow people to think in different ways. Even though two people from different cultures look at the same thing, their thoughts and interpretations might be different due to their cultural differences. People’s thoughts have no limitations bu t they could only make sense to other people if they were expressed through language. People could think of many things and could have many brilliant ideas inside their heads but that doesn’t mean anything if they were not expressed. Sometimes, what is appropriate in one culture, might be completely inappropriate in another. So people should be careful with the language they use when they are expressing their thoughts. When people share their thoughts and ideas, they learn new things from each other. For example, if two people from different cultures share their thoughts, they will both know more about other people’s cultures and will become more educated and open minded. That will also give them a bigger range of words to express their thoughts in. Some words that are available in one language might not be available in the other. Learning a new language will give people a chance to use the different words that were not available in their own language. Language help people to become successful because they are able to deliver their thoughts to the people surrounding them. Language also helped in improving the technology. Scientist worldwide think of new and creative ways to improve the world and their ways tend to work out because they know how to let their thoughts reach the people. In conclusion, the relationship between thoughts and language is very strong. The quote I chose to discuss shows that thoughts have no meaning unless there are expressed. People’s imaginations, ideas and thoughts could be expressed through language and could benefit the world. Different cultures tend to affect the thoughts of people both positively and negatively. They can act like a barrier that stops people from expressing their thoughts through language. At the same time, they make people expand their knowledge about different cultures. They also allow people to learn new words that were not available in their own language to express their thoughts. In school, different IB teachers use different ways to deliver their thoughts to the students. Some of them use spoken words and some use body gestures. Works Cited Kurz, Laura. Thought is not merely expressed in words; it comes into existence through them. 24 Oct. 2011 < http://toknow-11.wikispaces.com/message/view/Hand/44881868> â€Å"language.† Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 04 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"thoughts.† The American Heritage ® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 04 Nov. 2012. .