TOK Way of Knowing:

Language

“ALMOST ALL EDUCATION IS LANGUAGE

EDUCATION.”
NEIL POSTMAN
Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides. –
Rita Mae Brown
  Issues related to language and
knowledge call for conscious
Language: scrutiny in order to recognize its
Often taken for granted influence on thought and behavior
Rule-governed  Language can be thought of as a
Intentional symbol system, engaged in
Creative and open- representing the world, capturing
ended and communicating thought and
Can transform and experience.
shape thought and
action  Language can be seen as existing in
itself, as something to be played with
and transformed and shaped in its
own right .
 Language is…
Rule Governed:

GRAMMAR
WHEN LEARNING A LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR IS
IMPORTANT.
GRAMMAR REFERS TO RULES FOR HOW TO
COMBINE WORDS IN A CORRECT ORDER.
VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY IS GOVERNED BY ARBITRARY
RULES.
VOCABULARY REPRESENTS WORDS A
CULTURE AGREES UPON.

FOR LANGUAGE TO WORK, THERE NEEDS TO

BE GENERAL AGREEMENT WITHIN THE
GIVEN CULTURE.
 Language is…
Intentional.
NOT ALL COMMUNICATION IS LANGUAGE.
EX) YAWNING CAN REPRESENT BOREDOM BUT IS
NOT LANGUAGE.

LANGUAGE IS ENRICHED BY ITS MULTI-SENSORY

NATURE, DRAWING UPON ALL OF THE SENSES TO
CREATE A COMBINATION OF EXPRESSION AND
MEANING
 Language is…
Creative and Open-ended
THE RULES OF GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
ALLOW US TO MAKE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF
CORRECT SENTENCES.

WE ARE ABLE TO CREATE ORIGINAL SENTENCES.

LANGUAGES ARE NOT STATIC, BUT CHANGE AND

DEVELOP OVER TIME. PEOPLE INVENT NEW
WORDS AND CULTURES BORROW WORDS FROM
OTHER LANGUAGES.

SINCE MOST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE COMES TO US

THROUGH LANGUAGE, WE NEED TO BE CLEAR
ABOUT THE MEANINGS OF WORDS IF WE ARE TO
UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION THAT IS BEING
COMMUNICATED TO US.
 Nature of Language
“Words form the thread on which we string our experiences” Aldous Huxley

What different functions does language perform? Which are most relevant in
creating and communicating knowledge?

In what ways does written language differ from spoken language in its
relationship to knowledge?

What is the role of language in creating and reinforcing social distinctions

such as class, ethnicity, and gender?

What is the role of language in sustaining relationships of authority? Can

control of language create or reinforce power?

How does technological change affect the way language is used and the way
communication takes place?
Language and Culture:

If people speak more than

one language, is what they
know different in each
language?

What is lost in translation

from one language to
another? Why?

How is the meaning of

what is said shaped by
silences and omissions,
pace, tone, and bodily
movement? How might
these factors be influenced
Is a common world language a
by cultural context? defensible project?
Language and
Thought:
Is it possible to think
without language?
How does language
facilitate, extend,
direct, or limit
thinking?
How does language
generalize
experiences?
Can language be
compared with other
human forms of
symbolic
representation (art,
music, or math)?
 Language and Knowledge:
The BIG Questions
HOW DOES THE CAPACITY TO COMMUNICATE PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE AND THOUGHTS THROUGH LANGUAGE
AFFECT KNOWLEDGE?

TO WHAT EXTENT DOES KNOWLEDGE ACTUALLY DEPEND

ON LANGUAGE?

HOW DOES LANGUAGE COME TO BE KNOWN?

IS THE CAPACITY TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE INNATE?

IN MOST STATEMENTS, FACTS ARE BLENDED WITH

VALUES. HOW CAN AN EXAMINATION OF LANGUAGE
DISTINGUISH THE SUBJECTIVE AND IDEOLOGICAL BIASES
AS WELL AS VALUES THAT STATEMENTS MAY CONTAIN?
 Language and Translation:
What can you learn about your own language by studying a second language?

•T H E R E A R E A P P R O X I M A T E L Y 3 0 0 0
LANGUAGES WORLDWIDE

•W E T E N D T O T H I N K O U R O W N L A N G U A G E
FITS REALITY.

•E V E R Y L A N G U A G E C O N T A I N S W O R D S T H A T
HAVE NO EQUIVALENT IN OTHER
LANGUAGES.
•E X ) Q U A I N T H A S N O P R E C I S E E Q U I V A L E N T

•I D I O M S M U D D L E T H I N G S F U R T H E R