does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?
Hana Fahim TOK essay Q.4 Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?Different dictionaries interpret language in different ways. But primarily language is "a method of human communication, either spoken or written"1 but it does not need to be a vocal form of communication. It is "the system of communication used by a particular community or country"2. And it is also "the manner or style of a piece of writing or speech"3. It also needs to apply to everyday life. This means that any language needs to have "a vocabulary of symbols or words, a grammar consisting of rules of how these symbols may be used, a community of people who use and understand these symbols and a range of meanings that can be communicated with these symbols "4. To most people, language represents what we speak and what we write. But there are other ways of communicating that can be considered a language that people do not fully acknowledge. In this essay, I will explore the importance of language in different areas of knowledge, specifically mathematics, the arts and natural science.In his book 'Mathematics and Creativity' Alfred Adler said "Mathematics is pure language - the language of science. It is unique among languages in its ability to provide precise expression for every thought or concept that can be formulated in its terms."5 Mathematics could actually be seen as a separate language. You can apply it to everyday life. It has many uses, the most obvious would be counting. Also it is used to measure objects, in gambling and it is also used in physics, it is actually an integral part of it. It can describe motion, colour and sound. These are only a few examples of the many functions of mathematics. Math is almost useless if it does not have any practical applications, which is the same for natural language, it is only useful if it can
be applied to our daily life. Mathematics is an international language, it consists of a group of symbols and numbers which forms its vocabulary. These symbols and numbers are the same all over the word and so mathematics can be understood by anyone who has a basic knowledge of the rules in mathematics, anywhere in the world, no matter what language they speak. Math has a set of rules which have to be followed in order to be able to understand it. These rules form the grammar of mathematics. Also, math is used by mathematicians who form the community of ...
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be applied to our daily life. Mathematics is an international language, it consists of a group of symbols and numbers which forms its vocabulary. These symbols and numbers are the same all over the word and so mathematics can be understood by anyone who has a basic knowledge of the rules in mathematics, anywhere in the world, no matter what language they speak. Math has a set of rules which have to be followed in order to be able to understand it. These rules form the grammar of mathematics. Also, math is used by mathematicians who form the community of people who use this form of language. In fact the language of mathematics has some advantages over natural language. It is more efficient at communicating quantative information than spoken language. And it is easier when performing calculations and proving hypothesises. In 'The Language of Geometry' R.L.E. Schwarzenberger said, "it would be as foolish to attempt to write a love poem in the language of mathematics as to prove the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra using the English language."6 For example to say "(a + b)2 = a2 + b2 + 2ab" is so much easier than to say "if a square be cut at random, the square on the whole is equal to the squares on the segments and twice the rectangle contained by the segments. (Euclid, Elements, II.4, 300 B.C.)"7 Also. mathematics is not abstract or vague, but well defined and straight forward. In any natural language, there might be some words that are ill defined or vague, but this does not happen in the language of mathematics. On the other hand, math does not fulfill all the requirements of being a language according to some views. For example, as Schwarzenberger said, you cannot write a love poem using mathematics. This form of language cannot express emotions or human values. Also, at times math could actually obstruct communication since some people think of it as a foreign language and are not willing to deal with it. The most important argument people use against mathematics being a language is that it is not spoken since it has no fluency. Mathematicians actually have to explain it in words in order for people to understand it. You never find a person speaking using mathematical symbols. And so, it could be said that mathematics is limited and technical. In conclusion, I believe that math is truly a language of its own, but it cannot function alone, it needs the support of words and spoken language.Another area of knowledge is the arts. There are different forms of art, there is music, drama, painting, drawing, sculpting, etc. When it comes to painting and drawing, language is of no significance at all. Paintings and statues, etc. do not depend on language but they rely on perception and emotion. The main aim of art, in all its forms, is to convey a specific emotion, whether it be happiness or sadness, calmness or anger, etc. The beauty in art is that it does not need words to express those feelings and thoughts. And so language is of no importance to the artist or the observer. A painter or sculptor does not need to speak the same language as the observer since emotions are universal and they are understood in the same way all over the world, and so the artist can appeal to a larger audience. As for drama, language is of great importance because if the audience what the actors or characters are saying, they will not understand what the playwright or director is trying to say, whether it was a certain message, or a moral from the story or just conveying emotions. On the other hand, music is quite different. It os perceived by many as a language of its own. Music can be written down, musicians use notes, symbols and letters to identify different tones, actions, tempo, pitch, etc. of the piece of music being played. Any musician would understand these notes and symbols no matter what part of the world s/he came from or what language s/he speaks. What makes sound music - a language - is structure. For example, in Western music, harmony is a set of rules musicians and composers have to follow when writing a piece of music. Music is a universal language and you do not need to be a musician to understand it and feel it. Of course music is subject to interpretation, because it is based on emotion and perception, but so is a poem or novel. Not only is music a means of expressing feelings and thoughts but it is also a way of communication. Many African tribes use drums as a way of long distance communication. Different rhythms have different messages. And so tribes can communicate with each other using music. Music has also played an important role in keeping the cultures of many communities alive. Music can tell stories and the history of many countries was passed down through the generations by music and songs. Just like a book or a novel, music gives the listeners the chance to use their imagination and form images in their head of what the musician is trying to say. It gives way for many interpretations. The advantage music has is that it is universal, and so anyone can understand it. Music is also very attractive and so it is used to teach small children things like the alphabet, the numbers, and the names of things. Using music makes it easier for children to learn things. The only thing that music lacks is the physical descriptive power of mathematics and natural language. You cannot describe a blue ball using musical notes. But apart from that music is definitely a powerful form of language. It is mainly an auditory language but it could also be in the form of written notes and symbols.Many scientists believe that language plays a passive role in natural sciences, simply transporting the information from one person to another. But in truth, language has a bigger role in the progress of science. New scientific discoveries and inventions need to be known all over the world. But because of all the different languages spoken around the world, there is a problem. The answer to this would be to choose one language and make it the universal scientific language. The problem with this is that scientists whose mother tongue is not that language will have a hard time communicating with other scientists. Also, it is a problem for the development of all the other languages since an entire field of communication will disappear from that language. Another problem is with the language itself, natural languages have defects such as ambiguity, paradoxes and ill defining of some words. This also acts as a barrier of communication hampering the development of science. Because of all that, the different sciences have all found ways to overcome these issues. In chemistry, all elements have symbols which are the same all over the world. For example, calcium is Ca. In physics, physicists have chosen the language of mathematics to represent their theories and laws. Physics uses mathematical equations and formulas to explain certain laws. In biology, biologists have chosen Latin as the universal language for naming all species, they use a specific system, known as the binomial system. All species have two names, the gender and the species and these names are used everywhere in the world.In conclusion, I believe that mathematics is indeed a language but it cannot be explained without the use of natural language and so language is in fact important in mathematics. As for the arts, language has no importance when it comes to music and painting, sculpting, etc. But it is essential in drama since it is based on the words and actions said and done by the characters. And as for natural science, language definitely plays a very important role in the development of the sciences. Bibliography:1.- 3. Apple dictionary4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_as_a_language5-6 http://www.cut-the-knot.org/language/MathIsLanguage.shtml