Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge Essay

When a mother yells at her child using her childs all-embracing name, the little fellow recognizes that he or she should non fix emptied his or her mothers perfume just so the child could descry the cat sneeze. When the ballerina finally reunites with her first completer after liter years, unitary layabout also feel the happiness as if the touching physically emanates from the theatre and enters the embrace of the individual. Indeed, linguistic process plays m any an(prenominal) divers(prenominal) roles in the various atomic number 18as of experience. Language is a bases for version and expressing the humankind skirt an individual.Language deal be defined into essential and secondary levels. The autochthonic level of spoken vocabulary is verbal language and the secondary level of language is visual language which includes body language and facial expressions as intimately as gestures much(prenominal) as raising a flag. companionship peck be defined as diff erent types of justified beliefs which humans hold. in that location are terce essential elements of e really k nowledge claim. What we hold to be knowledge must contain truth inasmuch as it must non only be a belief but one that is justified. Knowledge must contain truths.A proposition that a subject does not believe washbowlnot be a proposition that the subject knows leads to the idea that knowledge requires belief. Finally, knowledge requires justification which contains the reasons and explanations of how something is sure. This gives one a working description of knowledge as justified true beliefs. Beliefs arise due to many ca ingestions. However, when beliefs are caused they whitethorn not immediately qualify as knowledge. It is grave for beliefs to be derived from sources which are reliable.There are five sources of knowledge scholarship or senses, introspection, memory, reason and testimony. Knowledge can be subdivided into six discrete areas mathematics, Natural Sciences, story, Human Sciences, Ethics and artistic creation. These six areas are not goop and can overlap with one another. For example, a scientist analyzing global warming may discover ethical considerations and may have to reckon historical data e. g. meteoro discursive data in further analyzing the subject. One can fit that the study of Natural Sciences may involve other areas of knowledge.Hence, the six areas are dynamic and overlapping. These six areas are also culturally dependent for example, in some cultures there is no corresponding word for art. We now intend to look to a greater extent(prenominal) specifically at the areas artifice, Mathematics and History. These tercet specific plains of Knowledge were chosen in order to give a wider perspective of the differing roles of language in the various areas of knowledge. The paper will get a line how the roles of language vary in importance in communicating knowledge of the world.By considering the field of Art, o ne must note that Art can be a function of language used to express the egotism through the use of body languages, signs, actions and objects created with the intention of transmitting emotions and/or ideas. Art goes beyond the expressions talking to possess by giving one two abstract and concrete visual manifestations such as dances, symbols and art photos. Art can reveal more(prenominal) than what spoken communication can express the precept a picture paints a thousand words may rattling well prove this point. A smiling face can imply more than just being happyit can also mean excitement and gratefulness.It appears, then, that there is no strict limit on the design of interpretations for any given picture. Different social backgrounds and cultures may interpret a piece of art uniquely and with different connotations. For instance, the color red center luck and prosperity in Chinese culture while on the other hand red amounts to danger from the perspective of the Americ a culture. Further, the core of a painting or a piece of text depends upon the subjects interpretation. Since interpreting a piece of text is more strict and straightforward, consensus should be more easily reached.The centre of the words of a text seems to be more objective and fixed and therefore it is more possible to agree on one interpretation of the text. On the other hand, a painting, sculpture, or any object that is labeled as art can be taken in many courses. The artworks import appears to be more ambiguous than the message of a text. For instance, De Koonings paintings of womenreminiscent of abstract paintingare done with bold, slashing and swirling brush strokes which may imply antic imagery, violence and carelessness on one side and may signify glorification or even obsession on the other.The second Area of Knowledge to be considered is Mathematics. Mathematics uses symbols to express truths about the natural world. The use of Mathematical symbols is a manifestat ion of language which is a powerful way of expressing natural truths. Are these truths more valid or justified than verbal truths? Mathematical symbols do have a very strict meaning and are more exacting than ones use of words. The plate of 1+1=2 seems to be logically true and expresses an outside(a) and natural truth about the world. With this, Mathematics can explain how the world actually works.However, Mathematics is only one limiting way of accord and expressing truths about the world as it allows one to express knowledge of situation and time while being futile in expressing human manner and emotions. Some Mathematicians also claim that the language of Mathematics is the best and the nearly accurate way of expressing knowledge. However, can Mathematics express human emotions which are by nature very subjective? Mathematics limits an individual by merely granting one the capability to express ideas which are reducible to logical symbols.Mathematics is unable to help one e xpress abstract ideas such as the nature of beauty, virtue or goodness. Lastly, History uses words to obtain a written record of the past. Unlike Mathematics and Art, History seems to allow the individual to express human behavior, beliefs, ideas and emotions more fully and more accurately. It also attempts to arrive at a consensus on the true nature of past events. Since the meanings of words can vary over time, the study of a historical document may lead to ambiguity and mistake among historians.For instance, although it is understood that the hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt are symbols that tell a narrative, deciphering the precise meaning of the individual hieroglyphics is not only tedious but also unreachable. Egyptologist can only ever make an educated guess about the meanings of these symbols. The akin holds true about the study of Ancient Languages such as Latin or Anglo-Saxon. Even Modern English is made up of three layers of vocabulary Anglo-Saxon (with additions from th e Old Norse), French and Latin (with additions from Greek).The roots of language become lost over time thereby obscuring the meanings of the words. In essence, a study of History, which depends on the study of ancient text, reveals how the meaning of words can fail the individual. Although words can help express humans needs, emotions and wants, the use of words has many limitations. Since a particular word such as cool has multiple meanings, how can a group of individuals be certain that they are referring to one and the same thing? Moreover, people from different cultures or social groups may understand cool in very different ways.Yet, while language through words plays a primary role in communication, even the slightest variation of the words meaning limits people from understanding even simple statements. Further, language translations may not always be accurate. The inaccuracy of translation amounts to the failure of fully comprehending the meaning of a foreign language. A slig ht misunderstanding of the words appears inevitable. For example, the Chinese parlance will always be less significant than understanding the phrase in Chinese however hard people try to repeat the meaning.Languages fail to fully express intuition because words oftentimes do not completely justify or express the feelings of individuals. The connotation of words makes their meaning and usage subjective. People from different cultural and social backgrounds may interpret words and ideas quite differently. For example, how does one define the word love? The abstract and diverse meaning of love means we may have different definitions of the word and therefore misunderstandings are not farfetched. We cannot define words with words which are coherent enough to prevent the meaning from fit ambiguous.In spite of all these, language remains a full of life and important tool for humans to communicate their thoughts and ideasas John Stuart mill once said language is the light of the mind . The different roles of language forge friendships, business associations and cultural ties. While the discussion is confined to a brief discussion of the roles of language in only three areas of knowledge, one can see that language, although ambiguous and subjective at times, is still the most powerful tool individuals have in expressing knowledge of the world meet humanity.