Theory of Knowledge Full Essay- Language and Vocabulary

Q: The vocabulary we have does more than communicate our knowledge; it shapes what we can know. Evaluate this claim with reference to different areas of knowledge. According to the Sapir-Whorf Theory, language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather is the shaper of ideas. The Sapir-Whorf Thesis states that language controls what we think and determines and limits our thoughts. Many language experts identify with the Sapir-Whorf Theory and among these is Wittgenstein, who once said, â€Å"the limits of my language are the limits of my world†.Thus, many believe that the vocabulary we have does more than communicate our knowledge and rather, it shapes what we can know. However, to what extent can this statement be said to be true? Is vocabulary really the only way to communicate our knowledge? What else can vocabulary do besides communicate knowledge? Do you need to be able to communicate your knowledge to show your knowledge? Is our knowledge only ga ined through language and vocabulary? Lastly, if vocabulary â€Å"shapes† what we can know, can we say that knowing more languages will gain us access to more knowledge?First of all, vocabulary refers to the body of words that are used in a particular language, such as the very words I am using to write this essay. Without vocabulary, there are no words and as a result, language is also non-existent. Imagine a life without words; we cannot describe or speak out the ideas in our mind, we cannot ask questions, or communicate with one another. In fact, even when we think in our mind, it involves the use of words. Does that mean that without words we would not have thoughts? Without vocabulary and language, we would not know most of the current knowledge that we do today.Think about the knowledge that we currently possess; many of us would agree that most of the knowledge that we currently have and understand is learnt through school, books and education— but how could we have possibly grasped all the physics theories, math formulas and others that we’ve learnt without the use of vocabulary or words? How would the teachers teach in a world where language is non-existent? Books would just be a fictitious myth if language does not exist. How could we expand our knowledge capabilities through reading if books do not exist?Thus, in a way vocabulary shapes what we can know because without vocabulary, we cannot communicate with one another and thus, knowledge cannot be passed down or shared. As a result, the knowledge we know will be limited to only what we experience or discover by ourselves. However, we would not have the ability to have knowledge about other people’s experiences or way of life and culture. For example, the Aloe Vera plant originated from Northern India and is now regarded highly for its healing and rejuvenating properties. Its antiquity was first discovered in 1862 in an Egyptian papyrus dated 1550 BC.Thus, the healing pow er of Aloe Vera was first discovered by ancient Egyptians, who decided to note this down on a piece of papyrus. If language had not existed and the ancient Egyptians during that time had decided not to write down the healing properties of Aloe Vera, that sliver of knowledge would not be passed down and shared among us and we would not know what we know today. We would not be able to benefit from the natural therapeutic quality of Aloe Vera. Therefore, in this example, language and vocabulary has shown to be a powerful tool for communicating knowledge.In a way, vocabulary does shape what we can know but to what extent is this true? Can vocabulary be said to be the crux of knowledge? Is vocabulary really the only method to communicate and share knowledge? Although vocabulary can be said to make up a large part of our understanding and our knowledge, it is not the only way that we can learn and gain knowledge. Another way would be through our own life experiences. For example, when we touch a hot cup of coffee and scald our skin, we learn from our own experience to be careful of touching hot surfaces as it can harm us.In this manner, we have learnt or acquired new knowledge without the use of vocabulary or communication but rather through our own experience. Our nervous system has sent a signal to our brain. Vocabulary is also not the only way for us to communicate our knowledge. Another method would be through the use of body language, facial expressions or hand signals. For example, traffic officers mainly rely on hand signals to direct the traffic at a particular junction or intersection. Through the use of body language, the traffic officer is able to communicate their knowledge to the drivers bout whether they should stop or go. In this example, knowledge is being passed on without the use of language. Similarly, by looking at a person’s facial expression or body language, we can know how they are feeling (e. g. sad, happy, angry). Furthermore, thinki ng does not have to always involve words. We can think in other ways such as through images. It is important to understand that to be able to communicate our knowledge through the use of vocabulary and language, we first have to be able to put that certain piece of knowledge into words.At age 6, my mom used to test me on my vocabulary and would ask me the definition of words. Oftentimes, I would reply her saying â€Å"I know what the word means but I just can’t explain it! † My mom would then answer, â€Å"If you can’t explain it then that means you don’t really understand it! † I would protest and tell her that I do understand but that it was just difficult to put into words. Thus, this led me to ask myself a question; do we need to be able to explain something with words to understand the concept of it? 6 year old me would beg to differ.However, I believe that even if we can’t explain things in words, it doesn’t mean that we donâ₠¬â„¢t understand it. Has your friend ever tried telling you a personal problem but he says that he can’t really put how he feels into words and you replied saying â€Å"I know exactly what you mean and how you feel†? Most of the time, this happens when we have gone through the same experience and thus, we can relate to them and recall how they feel. Art is another way to communicate knowledge without the use of vocabulary. For example, using graphics or art. As Napolean Bonaparte once said, â€Å"a picture tells a thousand words†.Similarly, an artwork can communicate knowledge to us. For example, the artist Chris Jordan, turns statistics into art. One of his pieces features a picture of 2 million plastic cups stacked up above each other, which is the number of cups we use every 5 minutes. It is much more impactful to visually see the numbers than to hear the numbers. A simple picture with no words was able to relay knowledge to us and raise our awareness. Thus, even though language does restrict the knowledge that we can know, there are still other ways to interpret knowledge.Another area of knowledge we can look at is mathematics. In mathematics, language is not used to communicate knowledge, but rather, the use of numbers. Numbers are a universal language that the world can understand. 2+2 will always equal to 4, regardless of your nationality or what language you speak. Therefore, we can say that in math, language and vocabulary is not very significant. According to the statement in the question, vocabulary is said to do more than just â€Å"communicate knowledge, it shapes what we can know†.If this is true, does that mean that knowing more languages will gain us more access to knowledge? As Federccopellini once said, â€Å"a different language is a different vision of life†. Federccopellini believed that language is a way of life and the more languages you know and understand, then, the more access to knowledge that you p ossess. To a certain extent, this statement can be said to be true. For example, there is a word in Bahasa Indonesia known as lidah buaya. The direct translation of lidah is tongue while buaya means crocodile in English. Together it means crocodile tongue.However, people who speak Bahasa Indonesia know that lidah buaya doesn’t literally mean crocodile tongue. In fact, it is actually the name given to the Aloe Vera plant in Bahasa Indonesia! Hence, to a certain extent, it can be said to be true that knowing more languages will allow us to possess more knowledge, as we would be exposed to different cultures, which would help us to understand their way of life. However, it is also important to note that the meaning of words otherwise known as semantics, have a propensity to change and evolve over time.For example, in the past, the definition of the word â€Å"gay† meant â€Å"carefree† and â€Å"cheerful†. However, in modern times, the word â€Å"gay† is used to describe someone that is homosexual. In this example, we can see how words can change its meaning over time. Thus, if the meanings of words vary over time, how true can it be said that language is a reliable method to communicate knowledge? Furthermore, oftentimes, words are made up to explain or describe a complex set of behaviours that in truth, nobody has really observed or seen.This is known as occult quantity. For example, in the sciences such as physics, the term â€Å"electronic field† is used to define a region around a charged particle or object within which a force would be exerted on other charged particles or objects. However, we can never really prove whether electronic fields exist because we cannot actually see the field with our own eyes. The existence of electronic fields is only â€Å"proven† when physicians make assumptions based on the observations and results of an experiment.However, how do we know that the experiment results aren†™t just an effect of some other unknown cause that we have yet to discover? Occult quantity leads to doubts about the knowledge surrounding a term or a word. Thus, this shows how words can be misleading or tell us false information that we will believe due to the â€Å"research† thought to have been carried out. Can these made-up terms or words be included in our vocabulary when they are not proven? How can these made-up terms or words communicate true knowledge?In conclusion, I believe that vocabulary is a crucial part of acquiring and communicating knowledge and to a certain extent it does â€Å"shape† what we can know. However, vocabulary is not the only way to acquire or communicate knowledge as shown from the examples above. (1794 words) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. ted. com/talks/chris_jordan_pictures_some_shocking_stats. html [ 2 ]. http://www. ted. c om/speakers/chris_jordan. html [ 3 ]. (http://east. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/electric%20field)

Nell

Nell, a 26-year-old single lady ends up deserted by her beau in Paris one day. The hotel where she booked her room at, she finds that the room she has saved has been twofold reserved and ends up imparting the space to an American lady. Since Nell is an uncertain lady, she feels tentative about remaining in Paris and thinks about returning home, yet she chooses to remain when she discovers two tickets to a craftsmanship appear, left behind by an American lady. At the workmanship appear, Nell has a second experience with Fabian, a server and battling essayist whom she spilled her wine on the prior night. Discouraged over an ongoing separation and the loss of a large portion of his novel, that had been blown into the lanes of Paris the day preceding, Fabian winds up attracted to Nell when he recognizes her crying close to one of the canvases in the show. He approaches her out for an espresso, and she acknowledges. Here, the two associate sincerely and mentally, and Fabian requests that Nell go out with him that night to a bar where he is getting together with a couple of companions. Nell acknowledges. Before going out, Nell goes to a close-by shop and purchases another outfit since she needs to appear â€Å"Parisian.† At that point Fabian grabs Nell and takes her on a tornado voyage through Paris, and later they go to different bars, drinking and moving. They spend the whole night together, and they in the long run travel on the Seine, which is Fabian's dad's watercraft, the Rose de Paris. Fabian reveals to Nell that is father's business is enduring, and Nell recommends another strategy for success for the vessel, one outfitted towards giving sentimental, modified visits. Toward the beginning of the day, Fabian attempts to give Nell a kiss however, the two are hindered by the custodian of Nell's inn. Fabian asks Nell to supper. Meanwhile, Nell's companions back in England have found that Nell's beau, Peter, did not go on the outing since he needed to go out drinking with his companions. They constrain Peter on a plane that takes him to Paris. Nell spends her day strolling the boulevards of Paris with no specific arrangement, which is exceptionally bizarre, as she is generally extremely strict about making a motivation and adhering to it. Before coming back to the lodging she purchases the green dress. Later, Fabian picks her up and they begin strolling to a yard where Fabian has sitting tight for them a private supper with one of his companions dressed like a server. In transit, Nell got the telephone call that Peter is at the lodging. She pardons herself, and Fabian surmises that it is her boyfriend. At the hotel, Nell meets up with Peter, who is dressed carelessly and is hesitant to take Nell out to supper, expressing that he would want to have a snooze and room service. Nell is given a note by the attendant that clarifies that Peter had been constrained onto the plane by Nell's companions. After perusing this, Nell leaves Peter. Nell makes up for lost time with Fabian at a bar and the two rejoin and have an awesome time. Toward the night's end, they go to Fabian's condo, where Fabian peruses a few pages from a diary Nell has brought along, and Nell peruses pages of Fabian's novel. Fabian informs Nell regarding another original thought he has, which has a fundamental character fundamentally the same as Nell. Nell likes his thought then, they kiss, and Nell spends the night. Toward the beginning of the day Fabian strolls Nell home and they part without an arrangement to get together once more. A half year later, Nell gets an advancement at her activity. She is apathetic about it, and soon thereafter when she is giving an introduction to people keen on discovering work in her organization she closes the introduction by disclosing to them how dull corporate presence is. Later, Nell leaves the room, goes to the PC, and looks into Fabian's dad's watercraft. She finds that Fabian's dad had utilized her thought and that the vessel has become extremely famous. Nell considers her mom on the telephone and advises her mother to meet her at the movement office. Nell goes to Paris and sheets Fabian's dad's boat, yet Fabian isn't there. Nell discloses to Fabian's dad how she had succumbed to Fabian, and Fabian's dad calls Fabian. While orbiting the city, they discover Fabian looking out for one of Seine's scaffolds, and he hops into the pontoon. He reveals to Nell that he has a distributor for Fabian's new novel. Nell questions him on how it closures and he reveals to her he let the characters choose. The book closes with Nell revealing to Fabian the amount she constantly enjoyed cheerful endings.

Age of Exploration Essay Example for Free (#3)

Age of Exploration Essay ? The age of exploration had many varied effects on the countries involved, mainly Spain, France, and England. By establishing a prosperous empire in South America by conquering the native people, Spain became vastly wealthy off of the gold collected by its native subjects. However, since the native people were dying off rapidly due to the foreign diseases brought over by the Conquistadors, as well as malnutrition and fatigue, Spain and Portugal were the first to introduce slavery to the New World by replacing them with African slaves brought over by Portuguese slave traders. The silver mining by these slaves caused world trade to increase. Often, silver brought to Europe from America was then traded with China and other Asian countries, making silk, porcelain, and Indian spices more prevalent in Europe. Products from America that became popular in Europe included corn, potatoes, pineapples, and sugar cane. Many cultures spread and combined with others: Spanish missionaries converted natives to Christianity, which then combined the new Christian beliefs with the natives’ cultural traditions. Another example, Arabian coffee with American sugar became quite popular throughout Europe. Although saying that anyone who crossed the Atlantic (at least when referring to modern theories) truly discovered America is ridiculous, I believe that the first to do so was Leif Eriksson and his group of Vikings whose settlement was found in Canada. According to the Greenlander saga and the Eric saga, his father, Eric the Red, a Viking outlaw, discovered Greenland. In order to establish himself as a man separate from his father, Leif sailed to the west in order to discover his own land. He sailed west because there had been a rumor in Greenland for the past fifteen years of a merchant sailing from Iceland to Greenland whose ship had been blown off course in a storm. According to the rumor, the merchant claimed that there were three separate lands west of Greenland. Around the year 1000, Leif purchased the merchant’s ship from the story, and obtained directions from the same merchant. He set sail only for a few days, which was reportedly was miserable due to the conditions on the open boat. On this expedition, they were seeking trees, which were scare in Greenland, but abundant in what is now northern Newfoundland, Canada, where the party landed. Leif named the new land Vinland after the wild grapes found there and the wine the grapes produced. Shortly thereafter, the settlers began to erect a settlement and scouted the land. In 1960, the archeologist and set out to find the fabled Vinland, using a four hundred year old Icelandic map and descriptions from the sagas. On the very northern tip of Newfoundland, they came across an area of mounds and ruins near a small town. Because the ruins predated the settlement of the area, the locals had always believed that Native Americans created the mounds. In fact, through almost seven years of painstaking excavations and radiocarbon testing, it was proven that the ruins were of a settlement dating back to the year 1000. Various artifacts found at the site also confirmed its Norse origins. Archeologists have gone so far as to pinpoint which ‘house’ was Leif Eriksson’s, based on size and complexity of the structure. I believe that Leif Eriksson was the first to cross the Atlantic and settle in America because of many factors. The radiocarbon dating of the site which puts it at 1000 C. E. immediately eliminates any of the explorers from the age of exploration, as well as the Chinese in 1492, in addition to the obvious implausibility of traveling above Canada in ice riddled waters in a flimsy wooden vessel. A case could perhaps be made for the merchant in the sagas who started the rumor, but as with all epic stories, the Icelanders who were the ones to transcribe the sagas based on oral stories, may have simply added him in as a fictional supporting character. Because of this and other equally plausible scenarios, I have to concede that Leif Eriksson was the first to reach the New World by crossing the Atlantic. There is confusion among certain people about whether America was colonized because of a desire for more money on the part of England or because the colonists were seeking religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church. This confusion stems mainly from the watered down version of Jamestown and the Mayflower that we teach students at a young age. While it is true that Puritans did indeed come to the New World seeking religious freedom, the initial desire to colonize America was all about the desire for wealth. Because of Spain’s conquests in South America, the gold it had acquired from the natives and silver mining had made the country vastly wealthy and other nations were eager to get their share of the riches. America also had an abundant supply of farmland at a time when many farmers had small farms that they toiled over in an effort to merely support their families. In addition, as more settlers moved to America and created a demand for indulgences that they were accustomed to in Europe, the companies that sold such items made more money because of the higher prices the settlers had to pay in order to accommodate shipping costs. In short, while religious freedom was a noble and idealistic dream, it wouldn’t benefit anyone or make any money, which is what people were chiefly concerned with. How would America be different if it had been settled one hundred years later, in 1592? To begin with, it probably would not be called ‘America’. America is so named after Amerigo Vespucci; however, as he died in 1512, it is unlikely that we would have been named after him. Perhaps we would be named Raleigh, after Walter Raleigh, a British explorer of both North and South America in our actual history. Christopher Columbus would not be in history books, as he would not have been to Raleigh. Native Americans thus would have never been referred to as Indians. Because of our late start as a nation, it is reasonable to assume that certain historical events in our country would be delayed, let us say, fifty years or so. Because colonization was delayed, it would take longer for tensions to raise between the colonists and the French, so the French and Indian War would not have started in 1689, but around 1739 instead. This in turn would delay the Seven years war and thus the taxed imposed by the British that led to the American Revolution, which would now begin in 1825. Thus, we would have the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1826 and become our own country in 1833. Or alternatively, because of the differing technology, we might have lost the war and still been English today. But lets assume that we won and Raleigh was founded. I believe the Civil War would have been delayed as well until 1911, three years before World War One started. Both world wars, because we did not start them, would have happened the same years as they actually did, 1914 and 1939 respectably. However, I believe that the issue of civil and women’s’ rights would have been later in coming, perhaps in the 80’s. We would probably be dealing with racism more than gay rights today, if that were the case. And our music would be behind as well, so 60’s music today would then be 80’s music now. Age of Exploration. (2016, Oct 23).