Why is man at the mercy of language?

Answer 1

Under this theory developed by people such as Edward Sapir, the premise of lanaguage and culture's interdependence was turned upon its head, with Language's role being placed as the predominant. This was deduced from experiments that showed that the arbitrary names and labels that speech communities place on objects dictate what people will remember, and objects that don't quite fit into these labels (such as sahdes of colours) are rapidly forgotten by the brain's visual memory, whilst objects with word labels, are retained by the brain for far longer. Other experiements demonstrated that bilingual people tended to feel and behave differently depending upon which language they were using. Other basic premises include that no single language is able to articulate all feelings, situations, ideas, etc. So if lanaguage cannot fully represent the reality of life, does that in turn cause you to percieve reality differently, and thus is language changing the reality of life? Further, when one considers how exactly how different languages represent the same realities, such as in the case of some native American tribes having little care for tense, but rather on whether a statement is fact or rumour, it becomes obvious that different societies percieve the same realities of the earth in different ways, and this lead thinkers such as Sapir to make this hypothesis that language was causing this, and that we are all at the mercy of language. For further reading I would recommend Peter Farb's Word Play, as it includes a great introductory chapter on this field with a good historical background for the theory provided too. The theory at first caused much debate and sparked some radical ideas, however many of its underlying premises have been widely dismissed by linguists and philosophers over the past few decades, yet its contribution to our understanding of how language and culture interact toghter has been accepted as huge.

Answer 2

Language shapes the way we perceive and understand the world, influencing our thoughts and actions. As a result, individuals may feel constrained by language as they navigate social interactions, express themselves, and interpret the world around them. Additionally, misunderstandings and miscommunications can arise due to the limitations and complexities of language, further impacting human experiences and relationships.