Language as a way of knowing

"No matter when we go in the world, people posses the amazing ability to make noises to each other and convey this thing we call meaning. In many places, they also make marks on paper or other surfaces and expect others to be able to understand meaning form the marks. The capacity of language is human characteristic."
Yes, language is remarkably important and it's so much part of our everyday lives that we often give no thought to how language serves to give us knowledge and affects our understanding.

Every person on the world use a language slightly different than any other person. Of course it is the place of living that influences this fact most. As we have no way of separating language and culture, the cultural perspective can also have a significant impact on what and how we're saying. Quoting Umberto Eco:
"Translation is always a shift not between two languages but between two cultures"

The relationship between language and culture, and the influence of their combination on thought, creates a lot of important TOK questions. For example: To what extent do the cultural differences reflected and created by language influence our perspectives on the world?

Not only the language we speak can be a barrier in communication. Even when two people use the same language, still they look at the world from different perspectives and that also can cause some misunderstandings. Let's take a simple, everyday example of conversation between man and woman. Having a boyfriend, I know from my own experience that sometimes we may seem like people from two different planets. Languages of males and females have a lot of difference and I think we all know that. Let's look further in them:

• Say What?!

  Many arguments between couples stem from simple misunderstandings based on different communication styles. Therefore, better understanding how men and women think and speak can help us have better-functioning relationships. Here are some of the most common misunderstandings and what we really hear when the opposite sex talks.

• Hint, Hint

  Men are socialized to make direct requests, while women are socialized to put others’ needs above their own. How does this play out in relationships? Women often expect men to read their minds and know what they want without actually telling them. If women can ease into asking for what they want instead of leaving their guy to guess, they’ll get much more of it with no mind-reading necessary.

• Women Love Details

  When she says, “Do you remember that sweater I wore on our second date?” he hears her say, “If you cared, you’d remember!” Women have an amazing memory for details, and they’re more sentimental than men. However, men don’t remember details as well because of differences in how they process information, not because they don’t care

• Listen vs. Solve

  When a woman has a problem, a man offers solutions, but she’s looking for understanding and validation. And a woman tends to give a man what she’d want: a shoulder to cry on, which is often the last thing he wants. As a rule of thumb, men should offer women compassion first and then help, and women should offer men help first and then compassion.

• The Great Divide

  Men compartmentalize, mentally and emotionally separating work, relationships, etc. Women think “big picture,” connecting all aspects of their lives. For women, when he seamlessly switches gears from your serious conversation to the game, it’s not that he doesn’t care about the conversation. For men, remember that her brooding over things doesn’t mean she’s trying to nag. It’s just how her mind works.

• Too Much/Too Little

  When a woman feels stressed, she often will verbally recall every single horrific detail about her overwhelming schedule, her family, etc. Once she feels her emotions have been heard and understood, then she immediately starts to feel better. However, when a man is feeling stressed, he often stops talking altogether for a period of time. Give him space to relax on his own

• Men Have Feelings

  Most men are very sensitive and have deep emotions; they are just not always comfortable showing them. A woman should never assume that her man doesn’t feel things like hurt or rejection. But she shouldn’t assume she knows how he feels. The best practice is to ask. However, avoid phrases like, “Did that hurt your feelings?” Instead try, “Did it bother you when that happened?”

• Remind Me

  He thinks, “I’m committed to her; she knows I love her.” She thinks, “What has he done to show me he loves me today?” It’s not necessary to reassure her that he loves her every hour, but he shouldn’t assume that a gesture of love last month is fresh in her mind today.

• Miss Independent

  She says, “I’m capable of doing that myself.” He hears, “She doesn’t want my help.” This can be confusing, but most women, no matter how strong and capable, still love to be “taken care of” by their men in one way or another. Guys, tell your partner that you know she can do it herself but that you love to do things for her so she can take it easy.

• Can You Hear Me?

  She says, “You never listen to me.” He thinks, “She talks all the time, and all I do is listen.” All he really has to do is give some verbal cues to indicate he is paying attention or ask questions about the content of what she is saying to let her know he is listening. When he’s focused on something else, he can say something like, “Honey, I really want to hear what you are saying, so can this wait until I finish this?”

from: http://glo.msn.com/relationships/man-speak-vs-woman-speak

form: www.bubblews.com