If people speak more than one language is what they know different in each language?

Answer 1

Opinion

People who speak more than one language with any fluency will generally answer yes, but among linguists opinion varies on this question. Some people believe that the thoughts remain constant and only the words -- the translations -- change. Others argue that language represents culture and that translations cannot capture the "mood" or the cultural overtones of what is spoken or written. An Italian proverb has it (approximately!) that a translation is a polite lie. Thus, we often say that "some meaning is always lost in the translation." (With characteristic irony and punch, Robert Frost said that poetry is what is lost in translation.) The counter-argument is, of course, that in expert translations, no meaning is lost.

In the early 1900s, Edward Sapir, an anthropologist/linguist, proposed the idea that thought and language are intertwined; that language reflects thoughts that cannot be "translated" into other languages. Some years later, Benjamin Lee Whorf studied the language of the Hopi Indians and concluded that language actually determines thought; that as people learn language, they learn both the culture and the thoughts that are unique to that culture. As a simple example, one that Whorf did not use, notice the American-English expression, "Take it easy." It reflects a kind of relaxation of spirit, mind, and body that is uniquely American and that is not captured by comparable phrases in other languages. Why? Because other languages reflect other cultures and, therefore, other notions of "relaxation."

Through the 1950s, Whorf's analysis was popular and widely accepted. But his examples and arguments, particularly those based on Eskimo languages, were questioned and discredited, and his theories became less popular. For more on that issue, look for the "Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis."

Certainly, human thoughts have some consistency from culture to culture and from language to language. The belief remains in some expert circles, however, that cultures and languages have thoughts -- points of view, ways of thinking -- that cannot be conveyed precisely to people who do not understand the culture and that cannot be translated precisely into other languages.

Opinion

Every language has its own genius and every language "thinks" differently. Frost's observation is spot on. Note that this is not to say anyone is a prisoner of his own language. But people who speak several languages (unlike linguists, who generally do not) have since time immemorial reported that some thoughts are inexpressible in some languages. For example, the Romans had no word for the female friend of a male person (amica, used by a male, meant "mistress"). The idea did not exist in Roman thought, because to a Roman friendship was a relationship between social equals, and women were so inferior to men socially that they were essentially the property of the senior male member of their family.

Opinion

Let's pretend you know the theory of relativity or string theory or quantum theory and your first language is English. You also speak several other languages but not quite as well. If you cannot express what you know about the theory of relativity or string theory or quantum theory as well in one of those other languages, you still "know" those theories. The comments above seem to address translations from one language to another. I would think that's different than what you personally "know".

I think we have all seen a novice-English-speaking visitor struggle to express herself but not knowing the right words although she knows what she wants to say. Then there is the multi-lingual person who says "I know what I want to say but there is no word in English to say it". If you lose the power to speak completely you still know what you know.

Opinion

One of the answers above states, "Every language has its own genius". Most linguists would find this concept quaint, very outdated unhelpful and even comical. When pressed, those who claim that every language has its own "genius" can only point to a small ragbag of features and a handful of vocabulary items. Many of Whorf's concepts are very extreme. For example, the key claim is that one's native language shapes perception and knowledge. If we were really prisoners of our languages, it would be impossible to learn another language beyond a few odd phrases. This is manifestly not the case. A lot of this discussion has unacknowledged problems. The implication of many of the comments is that multilingual individuals are beset by "identity conflicts" and the like. The evidence for this is nil.

Opinion

When you speak different languages, what you know in one language stays with you even if you can't express it into the other languages. A polyglot can understand, think, speak, count and pray in the different languages that s/he speaks. One can express an idea through one language and find it difficult to express it in the others, not only for lack of equivalent words but for lack of the feelings and tone of the words in the language being translated into.

Answer 2

Yes, a person's knowledge and understanding of the world may vary depending on the language they are using. This is because each language carries its own unique vocabulary, concepts, and cultural nuances, influencing how information is perceived and expressed. Additionally, multilingual individuals may have access to different social networks and resources in each language, further shaping their knowledge base.