Comm 211

Alek Nyberg

Reflection #5

Language is probably one of the most fundamental aspects of being human.  We would not be as advanced as we are today without the usage of language, and in my mind it is the tool for fulfilling our main purpose in life:  communication.  Without communication, we cannot share our perspectives of the world, we cannot spread ideas, we cannot make a genuine connection with another person, and we can’t leave our mark on the world.  This is why language is so important, and the chapter discussed the concept very well.  The part that struck me most about this chapter was the section on language analysis and how the language we use can shape how we see the world we live in.  This in my mind is a very important facet of language, for all the disparate languages in the world have infinitely many ways to describe an object, and being able to decipher another language’s means of describing said object can be an insightful learning experience.

I did not however agree with what was said on the subject of having language implant biases into the way we view the world.  The one example they gave of various French people thinking a fork, or “la fourchette” in French would have a male voice actually contradicts what the author said in the chapter, for “la” is actually the feminine pronoun.  I did however agree with the final qualified relativist position, which states that our language doesn't shape the way we see the world, but gives us a means to describe it.  This makes infinitely more sense than the relativist view, which states that our language influences our world view totally.  If this were the case, there would be no quality communication cross culturally, and the world would most certainly not be as connected as it is today.  Language is the most important tool in communication, so it is a subject that should be taken very seriously.  Language does not shape the world we see, but it can certainly show us new ways of looking at the world, and in my mind, that is the purpose of communication itself.  There is always something to learn from someone who can speak another language.