mercedo Wed, 01 Feb 2006 15:12:24 UTC
By and large, they researchers overestimate the value of language. Our perception is the first thing, and it varies according to different people. So like so many perceptions, we humans developed languages differently. Language determines how we perceive?is just an opposit to phenomena. Our perception determines how we express it, thus develop different languages.
I was unable to understand English till age 20 or something. Of course I passed English test, but what I understood at that time was not an English, I was able to understand only Japanese, what I was able to do was just a way to translate English into Japanese, for me Japanese was the only meaning.
Around at age 20, I tried to understand English as English speakers do -not through translation but as it is. Now of course I understand English quite well.
As a man who does not understand English till age 21, it seems absurd for us to overestimate the role of language in perception. Perception isn't affected by language, but language is a reflection of what we perceived. Therefore when our perception varies, our language also varies. But even though language we use changes, our perception never changes. Our perception determines how we use our languages. Our perception is prior to our language.
At age twenty, I just realised I am unable to express what I perceive through Japanese -my native tongue, so I decided to learn English to express properly what I perceived. But throughout my childhood to the present day, my perception has never changed.
If someone thinks that our language determines how we see things, I can't help saying he is not a master of language, but language has been affecting him decisively, which is a pity.
No comments:
Post a Comment