Essential Outcome 5: Language, Speech, And Discourse

There is a huge connection between language and culture. Huge chunks of a culture are shaped and/or formed by its language. It is the sole part of our everyday lives that we use to communicate with each other, and direct each other as well. There are a few different methods to analyzing language and its impact on culture. The first of which is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis basically states that our entire reality is shaped and formed by our language. So basically, since we have a limited vocabulary, based on words that we have made up ourselves, that runs our reality for us. We have made up our own reality, and with each language and culture, there is a new reality different than our own. It basically states that language controls our thoughts, which therefore control our actions and perspectives as well. As Dr. Archer said, there are a couple different variations of the SWH. One states that our reality is just completely made up by our minds and thoughts, while others state that reality is influenced by our mind/thoughts/language. Our minds are primarily made up of our language, and thusly since our reality is greatly influenced by our minds and thoughts, then reality must really come from the source of it all. Our language.

I have a great example of why the SWH works. When I am thinking about this subject deeper and deeper, I am starting to agree with the hypothesis. When you think about it, our reality really is shaped based on our language. Our language is basically created by us. Here is an example. I bet there is not a word in our language that can describe a person standing on their head, eating a sandwich, and twirling around at the same time. That seems random, I know, but there isn’t a word that can describe that. I’ll make one up. Flarrg. Ok, so now that I know what flarrging is, it is now a part of my reality. When you see someone in a car going somewhere, you notice they are “driving”, when you see someone coming toward you on the sidewalk, they are “walking”, when someone is looking at a T.V., they are “watching” it. All of these words are based off of our language, and yet all of these actions are a part of our everyday lives, our reality. Language can be used to explain every single thing in our reality and everyday lives, so therefore it must be the basis of our reality. I mean sure, if there wasn’t language, there would still be objects in our world, but we wouldn’t know what they were, or what we would do with them. So it is language that forms everything together and that enables us as a society to function within our realities. Since language is so powerful, it forms and molds our thoughts, and therefore we can only experience our reality based on how we created it, which was through language. (Sorry if I sound confusing there)

I believe that the Supir-Whorf Hypothesis is mostly true. I have thought about this extensively and have come to the conclusion that language makes up MOST of our reality. The SWH I believe is true, based on what I have stated above. It pretty much is my own perspective on language now that I think about it. I never really thought this deeply about language before but now that I do, I believe that language doesn’t create our reality, but rather form it, just as the SWH says. Language definitely plays a huge role in our everyday lives and realities.