Language represents a way of knowing. It is not a true instinct, but has to be learned. It allows knowledge to be shared and spread. Thought is constituted of the other three ways of knowing, emotion, logic and perception. These three are linked together, developing our thought. Emotion represents the sensitivity and feelings that are impulsive. Logic represents the structure and the ability for our thought to construct ideas and theories. Perception allows our thought to go beyond language, understanding terms and ideas in different ways. As our thoughts are constituted of three different ways of knowledge, and a wider dimension than language, language fails to express ‘the fullness and richness of thought’ in its verbal symbols. When we dream or experience love, the feelings, the perception, the emotion that builds up inside of us, are lost in the translation of our thoughts into language. The verbal symbols that have evolved or developed through generations of our ancestors cannot express the intense and overwhelming tingles that stream through the veins of your body. The ideas and the riches of our thought are broken and obliterated through language, which again corresponds with John Dewey’s quote.
Thought and perception in many ways are deterred by language. As there are millions of different dialects and languages in the international world we live in, many misunderstandings and confusions can occur due to language. Firstly, there is the problem of using different verbal symbols to represent the same thought in different regions of the world. For example, in English we use the word ‘hi’ to present an informal greeting, but in Japanese, the same word represents the English word ‘fine’, which clearly shows the failure of language in communicating thoughts. In the same way, when a person wants to describe the feeling of ‘butterflies in your stomach’, in English they may say love, but in Indian they may say pyaar. The thoughts and feelings of the two people correspond, but the language that they use does not. This again shows that language fails, not thought.
Language, though beautiful and rich in its own way, fails to carry and spread the vividness and vibrancy of thought. The words we use as our verbal symbols cannot transport thoughts in their full form. They cannot let another person experience the same thought they wish to spread, but they create a series of new interpretations and ideas. This emphasizes that language fails, as it does not do justice to the fullness and richness of thought, just as John Dewey quoted.
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