Josh Brandt-Young wrote:
>
> So, then, anyone who would like to throw me some opinions (either
> philosophical or psychological) on the relationship between Thought and
> Language as well as the name of your university (if applicable) stands a
> very good chance of being quoted.
You'll probably get many more well-grounded contributions than mine, as
I am many years away from this branch of study. But here's my few cents
anyway:
>
> Does language form the boundary of human thought? (Sapir-Whorf)
No. Otherwise it would be impossible for any human to conceive of
concepts outside of the individual's language base. And people have been
doing so for as long as we have been thinking and speaking.
I might say that language forms a *permeable* boundary. I will accept
the idea that it is more difficult to think outside one's language base,
but it certainly isn't impossible.
> Does language *create* thought? (Vygotsky, I believe)
> etc.
>
Probably. But I'd say that everything a human experiences can generate
thought. Language is simply one realm of human experience.
Now I should probably actually go read what Sapir-Whorf and Vygotsky
have to say.
Laurie
---
Laurie Gerholz
milo@winternet.com
http://www.winternet.com/~milo