Does the Language You Speak Affect the Way You Think? Essay Example

What one speaks, one hears on his own and what one hears, he begins to eventually believe; this is the truth about the impact of language and the way it affects the way humans think. The psychology behind language and the process of human thinking are two interconnected aspects of human cognition. They basically form a sense of complete cycle that helps identify how an individual sets up a sense of setup on how he would accept particular situations as part of his growth and make use of it as a dependable foundation towards his maturity. The consistency of belief over such assumption of connection between the spoken language and the cognition development of an individual is indeed a long time controversy in the field of psychology and linguistics. Cases of full evidence based from particular notable experiences of individuals actually create a distinct sense of determinable guidance as to how spoken language does create a differential factor that affects ones ways of thinking. In this case, since different cultures of different groups of people coming from different regions are noted to have different languages; their thinking patter is hoped to be examined closely based on an opinionated personal observation of the author.

People speak the way they were brought up in the communities they are engaged with. True to its sense, the consideration over the background of upbringing of a person accounts for at least 40% of his personality as he grows older. A part of this growth is the connection he has with the language he speaks. For instance, in a divided community where the rich and poor members of the area live separately, it is rather evident enough to accept that the structure of the languages that these groups use would be different. For instance, a rich family might be easily recognized because of their elitists’ language most often than not characterized with the sophistication of word forms used for the statements created. Meanwhile, those who belong to the poor sector of the community are often regarded to be noted for using slang languages [often observed to be the words used by all others on the streets, sometimes even taking a more vulgar form, as if there is no finesse at all]. This is the reason why there are instances when such individuals coming from such separate groups are easily identified and separately set apart immediately.

With social constructs comes the ideal process of setting up the thinking process of each individual. This is where the formation of thinking setup comes in as to how a particular language is spoken. To create a clearer picture of the situation, it is rather important to understand how national language is different from community language. While national languages follow a particular form of structure that identifies well with the people of the country, community languages also follow a specific form of structure that helps identify what particular group they belong to. As noted in the example provided in the previous paragraph, the constant description of a particular sector of the community based on the way the people speak is based upon the consideration by which people tend to act the way they speak. This could be likened to how a person’s thinking begins to change especially in terms of the culture he is immersed on. And as language is a basic component of culture, it also has a great impact on how a person’s thinking process is adjusted especially in connection with the thinking process of those surrounding him. Take for example an educated man who has been taught a lot in school about theories and lectures that helped him shape his belief about the society and what he should expect from it. His ways of thinking and the fact that he is educated would easily show on the way he speaks. Accordingly, as he speaks more about what he knows, he gets more and more convinced that his beliefs are grounded on firm evidence. However, later on, when he gets out of the classroom and mixes in with a particular set of individuals who he works with, his process of speaking changes especially as he sees different evidences of life that may be different from what he has been taught in class. Slowly, not only does his speaking adjusts, the way he thinks, reacts and perceives on matters basically create a more definite turn on how he would face situations and become more effective in thinking fully about the solutions that he has to apply when particular problems arise. The way he speaks about his new findings basically changes the foundation of his perception, therefore changing the overall process by which he thinks.

This is where lies become truths; the evolution of self-belief and faulty language leads to one believing his own created stories. In a different setup of utilizing the value of language in human development and cognition, this section shall provide a scenario wherein a person is forced to lie about something in order to keep matters at a peaceful state, perhaps even for the sake of protecting a person or other individuals from danger or from pain. To make sure the cover is strong, the person creates a story; a lie that would save everyone and everything else. As he keeps on repeating this particular lie, he becomes convinced that it is indeed the truth and somehow, unaware, his perception of such lie becomes solid truth that it already becomes a part of his memory; often delineating the separation of what the truth is and what the lie was.

In conclusion, the way humans speak indeed affects the way they think. The connecting factor here is the way one listens to himself, often convincing him that what he says is true and should be realized to have a solid value. May it be based on a cultural background or the plain act of lying, language is indeed a powerful tool that shapes the thinking and the being of an individual; one that strongly identifies well with the process of development and/or maturity that one engages to embrace.

References

Boroditsky. L. (2012). How does our language shape the way we think: conversion mind. published on the edge.org

Lei-lanilau, C. (2008). Wode shuofa: My way of speaking. Santa Fe, N.M: Tooth of Time Books.

Lucy, J. A. (2012). Language diversity and thought: A reformulation of the linguistic relativity hypothesis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.