(no subject)
I was wondering today if certain languages don't facilitate higher-order thinking. Like say one language was composed of 10 words, another of 100, and another of 1000, each limited to a finite number of words. Then those speaking language 1 are limited to "No do," those of language 2 can go as far as "Don't do that," and those of language 3 say "You shouldn't do that because it's wrong." I wonder if language 1 speakers grasp the concept of not doing something because it's inherently wrong, or because it's sinful or hurtful or whatever, or if they just understand on a very simplistic level to say "No do" and leave it at that. But at the same time their thought processes must extend to what makes something wrong, or else they wouldn't know when "No do" is appropriate. Right? Or maybe they do and it's just a blurrier concept.
I was also wondering if different languages don't make for a higher likelihood of scientific discovery. Like maybe the way a language is constructed affects the way a problem is approached. Maybe language A has the noun following the verb ("walks man") and language B has the verb following the noun ("man walks"). When confronted with a problem, language A speakers first look at an action and then its effects on a subject, while language B speakers look at a subject and then the action it subsequently takes. Or in a more concrete example, speakers of language A witness phagocytosis and notice that it happens to cells that pose a risk to the stability of the environment. Speakers of language B first look at the phagocytic cell and try to understand why and how it chooses which cells to degrade. In this very simple case both would come up with the same answer, but for very complicated problems I wonder if one wouldn't reach a conclusion sooner, or if maybe they would reach different conclusions altogether.
So does language limit us or not? Are we contained in a box of words, is language the only channel through which thought can arise? Or are we capable of thoughts that extend beyond the bounds of language?
I was also wondering if different languages don't make for a higher likelihood of scientific discovery. Like maybe the way a language is constructed affects the way a problem is approached. Maybe language A has the noun following the verb ("walks man") and language B has the verb following the noun ("man walks"). When confronted with a problem, language A speakers first look at an action and then its effects on a subject, while language B speakers look at a subject and then the action it subsequently takes. Or in a more concrete example, speakers of language A witness phagocytosis and notice that it happens to cells that pose a risk to the stability of the environment. Speakers of language B first look at the phagocytic cell and try to understand why and how it chooses which cells to degrade. In this very simple case both would come up with the same answer, but for very complicated problems I wonder if one wouldn't reach a conclusion sooner, or if maybe they would reach different conclusions altogether.
So does language limit us or not? Are we contained in a box of words, is language the only channel through which thought can arise? Or are we capable of thoughts that extend beyond the bounds of language?