To hinder is to obstruct or get in the way of. It can also mean to delay the process of. And knowledge being what we acquire through experience and what we understand. So how can language be said to hinder knowledge? It can in many ways. To limit a person's knowledge of language is to control what they can or cannot understand. For example, if a person only knows the words car and fast, then he will only use those two words to describe an automobile. That person cannot describe the car's looks, handling, ergonomics, braking, suspension and so on. By controlling his knowledge of language, he is limited to what he can understand. He will only be able to classify whether the car is fast or not.
In reality, intentional use of the limits of language really does occur. For instance, in any modern war, the military has to report to the press about the progress of any conflict to keep the public informed. The military however, uses words and terms that the general public does not understand such as "sorties", "BDA's" and "conditioning". The public generally does not know the real meanings to the words therefore, they do not know what really is happening. In most cases, this lack of understanding leads them to be ignorant of the situation. By using these words that are above the general public's understanding, the military can keep their secrets about what really goes on in a war. A specific example can be found in a common term in the military, where a mission or attack is "compromised". To the public, this could imply that the mission was partially successful where no side really gets what they want, but in reality, it means the mission was a total failure. Again, language limits what the people can and cannot know as language hinders knowledge. To hinder also means to delay the process of, so by all means language may only delay people’s knowledge. It’s only a matter of time until people discover what certain words mean, which they then add to their knowledge.
Another example is that of between two people who speak different languages. Either has any idea what another is talking about because they do no understand each other’s languages. However it doesn’t mean that they will never understand what each other is saying, it will be a delayed process. Eventually the other will interpret the message, but how accurate is this interpretation? There is always something lost in translation, which in turn affects ones knowledge. Differing languages can not only alter knowledge, but it can affect our values. A test on this theory was done a few years ago on Japanese/American women who became fully bilingual after meeting Americans in and after World War II. A person would interview the bilingual women in two sessions, asking questions relating to their values of family, friends and their lifestyle in both Japanese and English. Care was taken not to make the asking of the same questions in different languages obvious to any extent in order to prevent any inaccurate answers. The results of the test showed two surprisingly different sets of answers. The Japanese answers showed family and friends being more valued while the English answers tended to value more of material objects. Both these answers came out of the same people being asked the same question. This test proves that language does in a way influence our values. This also shows that if a Japanese person were to ask these questions, his understanding and knowledge of the answer is different to that of the American’s.
This quote fits perfectly in the discussion. “If we spoke a different language we would perceive a different world”-Wittgenstein, and that is because of cultural values, as different cultures have different beliefs. Something from one culture may mean something completely different in the other. Take for example the different meanings of words between cultures. Australia has thongs, while America has ‘flip-flops’. Although they are different words, they have the same meaning, or are labelled the same, but only in each other’s own culture. Now if you were to ask someone what a thong is? In America, they would refer it to the type of revealing undergarment namely the ‘g-string’. And if you were to ask what ‘flip-flops’ are? In Australia, the person would have no idea what you are talking about. So cultural and demographic differences in language can affect someone’s knowledge and their interaction with others. As something in one culture may seem something absolutely different in another culture.
It is also quite interesting to take note that demographically, our life determines language. It is our environment and our way of life that chains us to some particular viewpoint. Its because of the environment in which we live in, that we pay attention to some things rather than others. Because Australia is an island continent and Asia has many islands, the demographic location separates our language from theirs. It is also because of each other’s way of life, which determines the language. Asia is generally very traditional and has a long history of emperors and rulers. The history of China is grouped into the time periods of when which Emperor or ruler, ruled. So china would be familiar with Emperors and rulers. Australia’s history on the otherhand can be divided into who was Prime Minister at the time. Being a British monarch meant its people are more familiar with words such as, Governor-General, Queen and Prime minister as they are constantly mentioned in an Australian society and not in a Chinese one. A Chinese person may not know what a Governor-General is, because his government does not have one. And an Australian may not know what an Emperor is. There is lack of knowledge from both kinds of people, and that’s because of each other’s way of life. But these days people are reasonably knowledgable and know what an Emperor is and vice-versa.
Languages are instruments, which we use to describe our world and to interact with each other. To be successful, our language must be adapted to the world in which we live, and to the society in which it is used. That’s why inhabitants of the brazilin rain forest need many names for the flora and fauna of their region, and lack the terms necessary for the practice of computer technology; while the computer technicians of silicon valley possess that vocabulary but lack words to deal with the flora and fauna of the brazilin rainforest. Our world is not constrained by our language; our language has to be conformed to our world.
So with all things considered, language can be said to hinder knowledge. Ones lack of langauage directly affects his knowledge. Cultural differences in language can also affect ones knowledge of things. And most importantly it is our way of life and what we do which determines our langauage. “Human kind's quest for knowledge is only limited by our language and its ability to control what we can and cannot know”. We need language to think and interpret everything we experience and to put it into perspective, everything including this essay.
-“The enterprise of knowledge” 1999
-John L. Tomkinson
-Several Internet sources
