I certainly believe that the
existence of certain words and phrases do influence concepts in the human mind.
After looking at the list linked on TRACS, I find it intriguing how each
language possesses its own idioms and nuances. My belief is that connotations of
words and phrases primes the mind to comprehend, and interpret, statements in
multiple ways. For example, the difference in between calling someone
"dictator" over some other title like "president". The
immediate response when hearing "dictator" is negative, triggering a visualisation
similar to the leader's of Fascist Italy, the Third Reich, and the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea. Countering
that however, is the response evoked when "president" is read: an imagining
of an individual chosen by the people. This all follows the understanding of connotation,
as each respective term is referenced relative to American culture and English.
Even through the process of reading this, the choice of "triggering"
and "visualisation" in contrast to "evoked" and "imagining".
The former pair have a connotation of trauma and reliving a morbid experience,
while the latter pair have a connotation of nature and innocence. In essence,
the positive or negative connotations of words can be used to artificially
create human responses.
Additionally, language does affect
the processes of the mind much like how it did to Ildefonso in the case of
Susan Schaller. This stems from the idea that personal values as well as
beliefs and personalities are shaped by culture(s), and that language is the
driving force. According to linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf, "Language itself
shapes a [person's] basic ideas." While the conclusion itself has been
reworked and reanalysed in the decades following, the theory remains in
standing condition. Research studies have proven that native multilingual
individuals analyse themselves differently in different languages,
demonstrating the active influence of the spoken word on the human mind.
I most definitely agree on your statement about how the human mind processes and interprets words. Certain words or phrases just kind of click good or bad in our head. I also believe that language has a direct impact on how we think, and how culture also plays a big part. As we become older and more developed, we find ourselves already at a point to where we only comprehend on what we learned in the past. Our past experiences have a direct impact on our comprehension of words and phrases just as much as the language we speak.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you but also language helps us communicate with one and another and it helps us survive. Language can show how you are feeling about and topic by how you use different words. And also different words give people different powers over certain people. Like the word superstar , it make you look at the person they are aiming that too a little different. For an example, Michael Jordan , everybody goes wild when they see him because he's a NBA All star. Michael Jordan is a regular person just like all of us.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the idea that we view things differently due to the use of language. Once this podcast put the use of words into the perspective of Sarah Schaller and the way in which they affected the life of the man that she was teaching, I came to the conclusion that words give a certain meaning to everything. Without words, the everyday things in our life wouldn't have the commonly known meanings that they do. In retrospect, we see things everyday that may not have a meaning to us only because of the reason that no one has used language to explain the purpose that they serve. Language gives meaning to everything in life.
ReplyDeleteWords and there meanings do have an affect on the human mind to a certain extent but I disagree that it completely chnages our viewpoint.Mentally people are stronger than that and will associate words with there own experiences. You said that a president is a more positive wprd than dictator but there are plenty of instances in where a "dictator" has taken the title to give the illusion of democracy in that country to the UN.So its not language as a whole but language influenced by our experiences.
ReplyDeleteI agree that words change our viewpoint entirely, but I also believe that a word's meaning derives from experiences. Yes, normally dictator would cause one to think negatively, but for instance, the word "rose" is meant to have a positive meaning. But, I wore a pink rose on my dress at my grandmother's funeral. Therefore, when I think of roses, I think of death and loss. So, I do disagree when you say that words can be used to artificially create a human response.
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