To What Extent Language Is a Representation of the World
Three page paper on sociolinguistic theory. The paper is rooted in primary texts by Chomsky and Sapir. T The roots of sociolinguistic hypotheses of language suggest that at the very least, language impacts the social construction of reality, as well as psychic self-perception. According to Noam Chomsky, language use is a type of "organized behavior" that is both a cause and effect of reality (2). The study of language structure and function "can contribute to an understanding of human intelligence," (Chomsky xiv). Chomsky goes so far as to suggest that language precedes cognition in some cases, by stating that, "the study of language structure reveals properties of mind that underlie the exercise of human mental capacities in normal activities," including the use of language as a creative mechanism, form, and function (Chomsky xiv). In this sense, language does not just represent the world; it creates the world.