I Speak Therefore I am

“Language is a key partner of thinking....A confused, illogical, and sloppy use of language leads to confused, illogical, and sloppy thinking”.   –Wittgenstein   

I found this quote in my philosophy textbook and saw the interesting connection it had to the article “You Are What You Speak”. Wittgenstein is referring to how language may or may not shape who we are, or how one might think and see the world. Ludwig Wittgenstein is considered one of the great 20^th century philosophers, who contributed new insight into the links between thought, and language. In the article, Deutscher challenges some of the assumptions about language and seeks to answer the question of whether or not our native tongues restrict what we think. Wittgenstein states that the “improper use of a language can lead to confusion and idiotic thinking. If he is right does this mean that those who don’t speak “proper” English or Spanish are simple minded and incapable of thinking critically?

My first language is English and it was really the only language I was exposed to since most of my relatives and close friends as a child also spoke English. I believe I learned to speak English first through hearing and repetition. Babies hear everything that’s going on, and through hearing and repetition they begin to associate words for particular objects, distinguish sound and tones, and express emotions. Ultimately, they learn that through language they will be able convey what they want or need.

Growing up in a predominately African American and minority community, I learned how to speak two different dialects of the English language. For instance, at school I would try to speak “proper” English, and at home or around neighborhood friends I spoke slang. In my neighborhood it was important to be able to speak slang in order to fit in. I would always make sure that I learned all the new slang words and terminologies as well as proper English grammar. This was often difficult because sometimes I would unconsciously speak in the wrong dialect to the wrong crowd. If I spoke slang in school I was criticized by teachers and if I spoke proper English to neighborhood friends I would be teased. I learned that although language has its boundaries, it also enables us to make strong connections and socialize with various groups of people.

It wasn’t until the first grade that I discovered that there were other cultural languages that people spoke. Spanish was the second language I encountered while attending school. I remember hearing my friends’ mom say “Ben aqui porfavor”. I then asked my mom “what language is she saying?” My mom explained to me that the language my friends’ mother was speaking was Spanish, and it is a language spoken by many people of  the Hispanic culture. Of course my next question was “Why I don't we speak Spanish?”

After attending more diverse schools I became more aware of the various languages that other people spoke. The opportunity to learn a different language came to me in high school. I took three levels of Spanish, and did very well on written test, however, when it came to the oral test it was difficult for me to grasp. It seems as though my body was rejecting this foreign language. I am still trying to learn this language, while also ensuring that my son learn Spanish at an early age. Learning different languages will help him to learn understand different cultures and people.

According to Deutscher, it is absurd to believe some of the popular 20^th century ideas on language. The human mind is sophisticated enough to understand a particular concept even if there isn’t a word in one’s language for that concept. For example, even if there was no official word in the English language for love, we would still be aware of how it feels and what it means. He makes a great point when he says that it would be impossible to learn something new if a word was required prior.

Lastly, Deutscher answers the question of how language affects the way we think, by asserting that some languages compel us to provide more a less details whether we want to or not. For instance, in German or French one would have to disclose whether the person she was with was male or female, where as in English she does not.