Wittgenstein's Language Limits

Extract

[...] Thought defines a person more than their language. However, my world is also defined by my thought. After all, does not Descartes say think therefore I Language would therefore not limit what makes a person. Thought turns out to be unexpectedly more talkative than the latter with dreams, intuition . Scientific studies show that the parts of the left hemisphere responsible for language are always active when one is at rest. Furthermore, humans can expand the boundaries of their world through means other than language. [...]

[...] For example, the recognition of colors is today associated with a specific name, such as in painting or cosmetics. Thus, the walls of my living room are taupe color and my lipstick is cherry, whereas one could say they are respectively beige and red. Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory is also verified with animal language. Although it has been discovered that monkeys communicate with each other, their language is limited to the injunctive function. In other words, it is limited to preventing danger and locating food. [...]

[...] In his quote "the borders of my language are the borders of my world", philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein addresses the richness given by his native language and the languages he has learned. He asserts here that language limits human thought. But is this still true in light of recent discoveries on the functioning of language? In the first part, we will see that language plays an indispensable role in the essence of an individual. The following part will show that the lack of language does not necessarily question what I am. [...]

[...] We can nuance Wittgenstein's quote by citing Noam Chomsky's work. This linguist highlights that language skills would be innate. In other words, other criteria come into play in the construction of the individual. It is a matter of transmission between parents and children, social origin, geography We can also add that the boundaries of language and what defines me as an individual are not rigid. In fact, a foreigner or someone from a different social level than mine can today find the meaning of my colloquial expressions and appropriate them through the media. [...]