From ancient times, philosophers have said that language is an instrument of thinking. The connection between a person’s ability to think and speak is not in doubt. Not to imagine a book in which there would be no pages - so a person without words will not be able to think. For a long time, scientists have formulated the thesis: verbal - the only form accessible to thought. The word is a phenomenon known to anyone living in society. Everyone speaks words, sees the images they describe, and can hear them in everyday life. Do not underestimate the importance of thinking and communication, language and its tools. However, not every layman thinks at least once in his life of what the philosophical content of language is.
All connected
To understand the relationship between language and thinking, one should turn to the forms and phenomena that surround us. The conclusion made by man is always formulated by words. The ability to speak meaningfully is one of the important aspects that allowed society to become highly organized. Largely due to the ability to share their thoughts with others, humanity stood out from the total mass of the animal world. Philosophers engaged in the study of the interrelationships of speaking and thinking, spent a lot of time in discussions devoted to these realities of evolution.
Modern man does not know the essence of the thought process. Scientists were able to establish several separate components, such events that occur in the brain structures during the person's reflection on a certain task. They suggested which part of the human body is most responsible for the ability to think. It is assumed that the main role is assigned to the reticular formation. This term refers to a highly structured and complex area of ​​the cerebral cortex.
Talk and think
In an attempt to study the connection of language with thinking and human consciousness, scientists came to the conclusion that the ability of a person to think is a very complex method of reflecting the world in which a person is forced to dwell. Therefore, thinking is directly dependent on reality. Speech is the content of each individual thought, for the expression of which the individual resorts to linguistic possibilities. Some philosophers felt that with such a development of events speech is primary, while others regard it as a consequence of thinking. Many people believe that we will never get a final answer to this question.
However, there is no doubt that the word is a mental essence. Knowledge is formed from it. The word is the only way to formalize the experience accumulated by mankind. Speech allows you to share the accumulated knowledge with other persons. It is the only possible option for designing thoughts, helps to systematize thoughts. Only thanks to the language it is possible to build a text with specific content. The word is the material from which the final production of the mind is created - thought.
System: the unity of all aspects
To assess the connection of thinking with language and speech, one should consider these phenomena as a single system. Scientists have long regarded them as inextricable components. There are two points of view that allow us to evaluate and evaluate this system. Genetic suggests considering language as a phenomenon that is inextricably linked with the formation, the moment of the appearance of the thought process. The second option is functional. Within the framework of this approach, unity of thought and language is assumed. Therefore, by default, the mutual existence of these two phenomena is assumed. Such a system is dispelled in parallel.
At the same time, scientists do not consider language as an object equivalent to thought, or vice versa. The scientific calculations associated with these phenomena and their common features are determined by the idea of ​​the development of thinking. For language and thought, there are unique laws by which these phenomena develop, as well as specific nuances of functioning. Language is a closed system, thought is the same. The filling of these systems varies. It is impossible to define the world around as a clear connection of thought and word - this is confirmed by the differences in different languages ​​and the features of the speech reproduction of a specific thought.
Do not do without a difference
Scientists dealing with the problems of the connection of language and thinking pay attention to the structural differences between these two phenomena. Thinking is shaped by inferences. In its structure there are concepts, judgments. The units that make up human speech are words and phonemes, as well as other syntactic objects.
According to philosophers, thinking is a reflection of what is happening around a person. It allows you to process images that already exist in the world. The level of detail varies from case to case. By default, a person seeks to learn as much as possible and more correctly the essence of a certain phenomenon, an object about which he is thinking. Language, in turn, turns the information received into knowledge, using the means embedded in its structure for this. The task of the language is to perfectly reflect the content of the world in which the person lives.
Speech is a phenomenon that is actively developing. It is an element of human culture. In many ways, speech develops due to the laws and norms inherent in a particular society. Thinking progresses due to the ability of the person to cognize. These are inherent in a particular subject, not a community.
Philosophy, Thinking and Speaking
For many centuries, philosophers involved in the connection of language and consciousness, speech and thinking have tried to find answers to questions about how speaking and the thought process relate to each other. These questions touched upon both the mutual relationship and the extent to which one determines the content of the second. The opinions of various adepts of philosophy in the aspects of this topic diverge literally diametrically. Some people believe that language and thought merge - just such judgments can be found in the works of Vygotsky and Gamman. Others adhere to the opposite idea of ​​the lack of connection between the designated phenomena. Quite curious are the works of Beneke dedicated to proving this position.
Vygotsky: work and conclusions
The works of this scientist on the connection of language, thinking and communication are currently considered one of the most capacious, valuable and important in the subject. Lev Semenovich, studying the philosophy of the mutual influence of speech and thinking, discovered a number of aspects, thanks to which his contribution is assessed as the most significant in comparison with the achievements of all philosophers who dealt with the same topic. By the time of the initial presentation of Vygotsky’s theory to the public, his ideas were innovative, fundamentally different from everything previously known. The scientist considered that thinking is a product created by a person throughout his existence, based on processes occurring in the psyche. The formation of thinking is determined by human ontogenesis and is closely related to the historical formation of a particular society.
In the works of Vygotsky, devoted to the language and thinking of a person, the concept of the word "meaning" is formulated. Such is considered not as something concentrated on a specific subject, but as a phenomenon that describes a complex of concepts. Meaning is both a word and a thought at the same time, as Vygotsky believed. The philosopher resorted to the method of genetic causal analysis, which allowed him to trace the features of speech formation and the development of the thought process during the existence of a particular person. In addition to ontogenesis, the attention of the scientist was attracted by phylogenesis, that is, the formation of these phenomena during human history.
Works and their contents: curious aspects
Considering language as a means of thinking, Vygotsky spent a lot of time watching the monkeys. As part of the experiments, it was possible to identify the fact that the genetic level of origin of the phenomena under consideration is different, and the development processes proceeded independently of one another. Vygotsky established that during the periods of the development of history, the correlation of the thought process and speech changed, there was no constant, stable meaning. He also noted that monkeys similar to humans exhibit intellectual reactions only in relation to tools, but do not show the connection between communication and reflection. It was possible to identify the phases preceding the formation of intelligence in animals and the ability to communicate aloud.
Based on the observations, conclusions were formulated on two options for the manifestation of speech in human society. The first, defined by Vygotsky, is communication. The method involves voicing what a person thinks, with the participation in the interaction of several people, transmitting to each other some information. The second type of speech manifestation is the union of the one who is listening with the one who is speaking. In this case, the verbal mental form turns into a means of thinking. This separation allows you to highlight the external, internal speech formats. In the first case, thought is reflected in lexical turns and obeys the structures of the language, in the second case, it is about giving some meaning to a specific thought. Vygotsky, formulating such conclusions, considers the external speech format to begin with the use of the word with the gradual use of more and more developed and complex structures. The inner progresses from the whole to a certain aspect, from thought to a concrete word.
People communication
Language is a tool of thinking that allows people to interact with each other. Even in childhood, a person learns conversational skills, first pronouncing the words on their own. Over the years, phrases become more complicated, speech skills improve, so a person can reflect more complex thoughts in a speech. He thinks in expanded phrases, even at an early age, but cannot reproduce them in this format due to the problems of external speech, which forces him to resort to separate words. Vygotsky suggested that there is some egocentric speech intermediate stage. Previously, similar hypotheses were formulated by Piaget, who described this stage as childish egocentrism. The process does not affect children's thinking, behavior, but only accompanies human development. Vygotsky developed this assumption and considered the egocentric step to be a kind of “melting” of the external speech aspect into the internal one.
As part of the study of language, speech and thinking, Vygotsky regarded the egocentric step as an independent type of functioning of the person’s speech system, designating it as “speech for himself”. Piaget suggested that egocentric speech disappears as a person develops, Vygotsky suggested that it be considered as transforming into the internal. Such a hypothesis is basic for modern philosophical currents that consider mental, speech processes. At the same time, the absence of a direct transition between thoughts and speech is recognized as a means of reflecting the conscious. For this reason, it is not often possible to meet someone whose thoughts you immediately understand, and the person feels close. In many ways, this fact explains the abundance of debate about speech etymology, the structure of thinking.
About mutual
The connection between the thinking system and the language system is due to the fact that both of these phenomena are necessary for human interaction and reflection of the thought process. Others consider the linguistic categories and inherent in the thought process similar, but not every philosopher agrees with this position. Language - a system of sign, sound, uniting objects with which you can reflect the idea. The language allows you to voice these characters. The ability to clearly express an idea is determined by the formation of thought. If they express it earlier than it is fully framed, the likelihood of an adequate understanding of what was said by an outside person decreases. At the moment, humanity is the only kind of life on our planet that uses sign systems for communication. Philosophers, operating on this fact, call for responsible follow-up of thought processes and what has been said.
Studying the connection between language and thinking, they pay attention to the fact that the thought process is the highest version of brain activity. It is designed to reflect what is happening in the world around us and allows a person to use the accumulated knowledge and receive new ones. Thinking is the desire to learn new things, to make new connections. Psychologists consider one of the most important tasks of their science to determine how strongly language and thinking influence each other. Others believe that these two phenomena can only be used together. Within the framework of such theories, language is almost equated with the thought process. Such ideas can be found in the works of the German scientist Schleicher, specializing in linguistics. He believed that the shape of an object and its contents are interrelated.
Disputes do not subside
As part of the assessment of the connection between thinking and language, other conclusions sound that make it possible to argue with the conclusions of Schleicher. Many people prefer not to consider the described categories as identical, but only to recognize them as closely related to each other and mutually affecting development. Every language (and there are a huge number of them) has features of grammatical rules and forms, morphological nuances. Within the framework of one language, different interpretations are possible, determined by the nationality of the person. At the same time there are specific, rare languages. A well-known American specialist in linguistics, Wharf believes that speech specific features are responsible for the formation of the mental image and scenario of thoughts inherent in a person. To some extent, this is an individual mentality incomprehensible to representatives of other nations.
In the context of the connection between thinking and language, deaf-mutes, communicating with each other by a specific method that is not clear to most ordinary people, are of particular interest. Sound for such people is not a reference point, while no one will argue with the presence of the thought process in a person with a similar health problem.
Thinking greatly affects the language, because it controls the speech apparatus. Scientists agree that language and thought processes are two contradictory phenomena, but at the same time they are unity.
Thoughts and words
In recent years, the indicated problem has become especially important and requiring attention due to the development of artificial intelligence. Social order exerts significant pressure on scientific fields, and AI has been a topic for research by scientists since the middle of the last century. People involved in this area are especially interested in naming the connection between thinking and language, as they are constantly forced to take into account the results of mutual influence. Intelligence in the simplest sense of the term is mind and reason. A broader interpretation includes volitional manifestations, memory and information accumulated about the environment. The person’s intelligence abilities are noticeable in the thought processes available to her. Intelligence can be equated with the thinking system in the form in which it is perceived by the majority. In practice, a number of speech deviations are perceived by others as problems of the human thought process.
Language is the main method of transferring information, information, and knowledge to other people. It is not easy to reveal the essence of thought; this is mainly done through the determination of the mental structure and intentions of a person. In Benvenist’s works devoted to language and thinking, one can see the conclusion that an intention receives a language design and cannot separate from the language, become higher than it, otherwise the thought becomes vague and its contents cannot be correctly understood. In addition to language, there are only impulses, impulses of will reflected by gestures, facial instruments, but not clear enough for a productive interaction. Some people think that language represents, to some extent, clothing for thoughts, but Benveniste recognizes this opinion as a categorical fallacy, urging words to be regarded as part of a thought that cannot be taken away, while clothing can be removed. He recognizes senseless research on the subject of circumventing the language in thinking and excluding it in the form of some interference.
Images and experience
In Vygotsky’s works on the connection between language and thinking, one can find a comparison of the process of creating a new utterance with a cloud from which, sooner or later, verbal rain begins. At the same time, the scientist paid attention to the completion of thought, and not its embodiment in verbal form. Rubinstein, another well-known specialist in the field of psychology, suggested evaluating speech as a variant of the formulation of thought, the process being accompanied by formation. Similar sayings can be seen among the classics of Marxism, who proposed to consider language as matter that aggravates a person. Engels compared her to the curse of mankind. However, from the experience of everyday life, a person can conclude: often conscious actions do not require formalization into words. Performing the simplest manipulations, a person does not pronounce them aloud. It is far from always possible to feel the inner speech.
Studying the language, the functions of language and thinking, scientists came to the conclusion that verbal is not the only form of thought process available to man. It belongs to one of the key types, but along with it there is also practical, effective, as well as visual figurative, technical. Practical action is considered the primary option, because this is how a person was able to successfully go hunting for the first time. Only then did imaginative, visual thinking appear. In the examples, this can be described by the recollection of a successful hunt using an image in the future to assess the possible benefits of repeating a set of actions. Only on the basis of these two types logical verbal thinking was formed. If we draw a parallel of examples, then it can be illustrated as the transfer of information about successful hunting and the benefits received through it to a new generation.
Applying to a person
The interconnection of language and thinking, studied by philosophers and psychologists, linguists, plays a role in the life of every person, although not everyone thinks about it. Language is a mental reality, formed and flowing in relation to each of us. The thought process for a person is usually peculiar without speech support, the exception is people who prefer to comment out loud on everything that happens. Consequently, thinking comes to the fore in images and visuals. In verbal form, in a logical form, ideal mental communication is a phenomenon that is reflected in material (by virtue of its essence) language. Such thinking is available exclusively to man.
About categories
Studying the relationship between language and thinking, scientists came to the conclusion that most of all, community is expressed in grammatical aspects similar to logical categories. Only by recognizing the interconnectedness of the phenomena under consideration, it is possible to determine its nature and essence. Communication analysis is one of the key tasks of linguistics, linguistic philosophy. In modern linguistics, one of the curious methodological approaches is descriptivism. He suggests completely excluding the specifics of the thought process from the field of view. However, this is an extreme which, within the framework of the question of mutual connection, is not of particular interest.
For many centuries people have been thinking about the connection between thinking and language, since for thousands of years it was precisely language that has been the main means of expressing human thought. Due to such prolonged use, a grammatical system has formed, in which there are categories that are clearly associated with the mental. The subject corresponds to the subject, the process is indicated by the verb, and unions are used to indicate connections. At the same time, one cannot affirm the identity or symmetry of phenomena. Mental and linguistic categories are often, but not always, correlated. There are formal categories of language that have nothing similar in thinking. They are due to the long process of generalization of various forms occurring in a particular language under the influence of its laws.
Exploring the relationship between thinking and language, scientists drew attention to specific categories that reflect far from all the words of a certain part of speech. Speaking of something, a person does not realize the semantic features of the inanimate and does not include them in the mental content. Thoughts about a certain object, expressed in different languages, are often similar, but grammatical categories have an abundance of differences - this proves the ability to translate the content of the text from language to language.
Cognition and specificity
In short, the connection between language and thinking is a world science. It was such a term that Humboldt proposed to use. Vocabulary and grammar are in asymmetric relationships, but each of these systems allows us to represent the thinking process of the nation. Classification is primarily an indicator of thinking as identifying the identity and the excellent. Different nationalities divide the realities of the world into categories quite unexpectedly for a particular specialist, which is why linguistics is a complex object of study.
Trying to master this topic and state it as briefly as possible, linguists speak of the connection between language and thinking as a reflection of popular awareness. Others are interested in how realistic it is to identify him and become his inner part. This is possible through the study, analysis, observation of the forms of the language. It is important to consider the connection between language and abstract thinking. The categorization inherent in speech is an indispensable and integral, organic part of any language. Such representations in the language system are fixed by categories. Classification is always associated with specific principles inherent in a particular people.
Speaking about the interconnection of the pronounced and thought process, it is necessary to take into account the features of non-verbal thinking. Language is a reflection of a person’s ability to think and know. The possibility of generalization lies in the words, and not every word equally possesses such qualities, although they are inherent even in proper names. Generalization is not only vocabulary, but also grammar. Thinking, in turn, makes it possible to abstract, and this is reflected precisely through language grammar.