Examines the nature and variety of language, how it conveys meaning, its strengths and limitations.
Key questions:
What is the relationship between words and meaning?
Can all ideas be expressed verbally? If not, does that limit knowledge?
Does language shape our perspective, or does our perspective shape language?
If language works according to sets of rules and conventions, how much scope do we have to break or challenge them?
What is the relationship between words and meaning? Is it possible to know something without being able to put it into words?
Do all people share an innate knowledge of a universal grammatical structure? What knowledge might be lost if the whole world shared one common language?
How are metaphors used in the construction of knowledge?
What is the nature of language? How does it convey meaning?
What are the limitations of language?
Can all ideas and concepts be expressed via words and symbols?
What makes language culturally acceptable or not? Who decides?
Are some words inherently bad?
Is there a relationship between ethics and language?
What's more important to understanding language: Vocabulary, grammar/syntax or culture?
How do we assign meaning?
Is meaning inherent in language?
Does language shape or reflect our beliefs?
Do metaphors help or hinder understanding?
Does language reinforce, or break down, our biases and perspectives?
Would we know more or less about the world if we all shared a common language?
To what extent can words be translated?
What makes a "good" translation? Is there a difference between "understanding" a lanaguge and "decoding" it?
People who can switch between street dialects and standard language might have the same cognitive advantage as bilinguals
tra la la and fol-de-rol. Why create words that have no meaning?
