Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Peter:

I think I see a difference in our English usage.

On 11/20/06, Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org> wrote:
> Karl, I agree with you, except in disagreeing with myself! This was more
> or less the point I was trying to make. But since you admit that
> "available vocabulary (which includes idiomatic phrases)
> influences ... how people think", I don't see how you can insist that
> "thought bears NO direct relationship to language". However, we entirely
> agree that language does not predetermine how people think.
>
> --
> Peter Kirk
> E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
> Blog:    http://speakertruth.blogspot.com/
> Website: http://www.qaya.org/
I make a distinction between language structure and language usage. It
appears to me that you combine the two, to a certain extent.

I view vocabulary as part of language usage, as it changes with
changing requirements, even the frequency of word usages depend on the
author's intent. And where new ideas are needed to be discussed,
neologisms, importing terms from other languages and redefining old
terms can give voice to these new ideas.

But you are right that when vocabulary lacks expressions for certain
ideas, then it makes it more difficult to conceive and communicate
those ideas. Thus if you take "language" as including vocabulary, it
does have some influence on thought patterns.

Yours, Karl W. Randolph.