To What Extent Is Language the Most Important Way of Knowing Essay Example

To What Extent Is Language the Most Important Way of Knowing? Essay To what extent is language the most important way of knowing? To answer this question, let us first define language and knowledge. Language is any system of formalized symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or the like used or conceived as a means of communicating. 1While knowledge is a justified true belief. In my opinion, language is an important way of knowing; however it is not the most important. Language is not restricted to merely words, it encompasses actions as well. Without it, how can we communicate and thus obtain knowledge. We often acquire knowledge from books, teachings and actions. With that in mind, let us ask ourselves: What would we understand from these if there were no language in the world? Nothing. However, language is biased. Who is to say whether a person is a terrorist or freedom fighter, after all, the definitions of these two words are similar, but their connotations are different. It may be argued that language is only one of the four ways of knowing, however, I would like to emphasize that language is the basis of emotion, reason and perception. People may say that we can infer happiness from a smile; and sadness from a frown, however, as mentioned earlier, isn’t the smile or frown an action, a language? Another example of language controlling emotion would be where we are able to derive sorrow from the phrase â€Å"I am sorry for your loss†. On the other hand, emotions could have control over language. When we are angry, we would use certain different words as compared to when we are happy. This means that we emotions control the use of words, in contrast to the earlier view that we use words to express different emotions. We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Is Language the Most Important Way of Knowing? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Is Language the Most Important Way of Knowing? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent Is Language the Most Important Way of Knowing? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Language is used to perceive. For example, people are shown three pictures, one of a man about to kick a ball, one of the same man having just kicked a ball, and a third of a different man who is about to kick a ball. They are then asked which two of the three are the most similar. Indonesians generally choose the first two pictures, which have the same man in them, while English speakers are likely to identify the two pictures that show the ball about to be kicked—an emphasis on the chronological, rather than the spatial, relationship between the principal objects in the picture. However, in different languages the divides between, say, red and pink may be different, but this does not imply that people speaking different languages do not perceive the difference between a darker pink and a lighter pink. Through this, we can see that humans are capable to perceive the objective world overcoming the biases that language may impose. The 19th century German Philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt claimed that language was directly connected to thinking. 3 I agree with his claim. We are born with the gift of language. Even people without the five senses possess some form of language relative to their own existence. To be able to reason, we need to think, thus we need a medium in which to think, language provides this. For example, in mathematics, we use symbols to logic out the problem and deduce the result. These symbols are forms of language. Conversely, language is biased, thus it may cloud reason. Through perception of language, we may have preference for one thing compared to another. For instance, a biased claim such as â€Å"Jimmy Carter is a bigot†4 is full of fallacies, such as the red herring fallacy and the appeal to emotions and novelty. These fallacies defy reason hence are not knowledge. To conclude, I feel that language is a good attempt to link the ways of knowing together, however, it is not without its drawbacks, thus it as yet cannot be considered the most important way of knowing. 1: http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/language 2: http://cognation. stanford. edu/press/economist/ 3: http://www. physicsforums. com/archive/index. php/t-27551. html 4: news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20080425/ap_on_re_us/un_israeli_ambassador

The Small Magellanic Cloud

The Small Magellanic Cloud The Small Magellanic Cloud is a favorite stargazing target for southern hemisphere observers. Its actually a galaxy. Astronomers classify it as a dwarf  irregular type galaxy that is roughly 200,000 light-years from our Milky Way galaxy. It is part of the Local Group of more than 50 galaxies that are gravitationally bound together in this region of the universe. Formation of the Small Magellanic Cloud Close study of the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds indicates that they were both once barred spiral galaxies. Over time, however, gravitational interactions with the Milky Way distorted their shapes, tearing them apart. The result is a pair of irregularly shaped galaxies that are still interacting with each other and with the Milky Way. Properties of the Small Magellanic Cloud The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is roughly 7,000 light-years in diameter (about 7% of the Milky Ways diameter) and contains about 7 billion solar masses (less than one percent of the mass of the Milky Way). While it is about half the size of its companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud, the SMC contains nearly as many stars (about 7 billion versus 10 billion), meaning it has a higher stellar density. However, the star formation rate is currently lower for the Small Magellanic Cloud. This is probably because it has less free gas than its larger sibling, and, therefore, had periods of more rapid formation in the past. It has used up most of its gas and that has now slowed down starbirth in that galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud  is also the more distant of the two. Despite this, it is still visible from the southern hemisphere. To see it well, you should search it out in clear, dark skies from any southern hemisphere location. Its visible in the evening skies beginning in late October through January. Most people mistake the Magellanic Clouds for storm clouds in the distance.   Discovery of the Large Magellanic Cloud Both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are prominent in the night sky. The first recorded word of its position in the sky was noted by the Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, who lived and observed in the middle of the 10th century. It wasnt until the early 1500s that various writers began recording the presence of the clouds during their voyages across the ocean. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan brought it into popularity through his writings. His contribution to their discovery eventually led to their naming in his honor.   However, it really wasnt until the 20th century that astronomers realized the Magellanic Clouds were actually whole other galaxies separate from our own. Before that, these objects, along with other fuzzy patches in the sky, were assumed to be individual nebulae in the Milky Way galaxy. Close studies of the light from variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds allowed astronomers to determine accurate distances to these two satellites. Today, astronomers study them for evidence of star formation, star death, and interactions with the Milky Way Galaxy. Will the Small Magellanic Cloud Merge With the Milky Way Galaxy? Research suggests that both the Magellanic Clouds have orbited the Milky Way galaxy at roughly the same distance for a significant portion of their existence. However, it is not likely that they have ventured as close as their current position very often. This has led some scientists to suggest that the Milky Way will eventually consume the much smaller galaxies. They do have trailers of hydrogen gas streaming between them, and to the Milky Way. This gives some evidence of interactions between the three galaxies. However, recent studies with such observatories as the Hubble Space Telescope seem to show that these galaxies are moving too fast in their orbits. This could keep them from colliding with our galaxy. That doesnt rule out closer interactions in the future, as Andromeda Galaxy closes in on an long-term interaction with the Milky Way. That dance of the galaxies will change the shapes of all the galaxies involved in drastic ways.

Assessed assignment 2 - Data Analysis Exercise Essay

Assessed assignment 2 - Data Analysis Exercise - Essay Example The plural form of ‘time’ is used in English but in specific contexts and with different connotations. Lot of – the speaker has used this term to qualify both count as well as non- count nouns. He seems to prefer this term and has never used ‘very† or â€Å"many’ as native speakers would have done. One children, a children –We do find subject verb agreement between â€Å"are’ and ‘children’. The speaker says, â€Å"there are only one children.’ For the native speaker, it is an irregular plural but the speaker has mis-analysed the form, hence his use of one/a is consistent with his treatment of this form as singular. We can conclude that for speaker A, children is semantically singular but syntactically plural. The bare verb form is used as nominals where native speakers would use –ing form for deriving nominals from verbs in these contexts. When –ing forms of verbs are used as nouns or adjectives they are called gerunds. Own – this word sounds more or less like earn. Perhaps, the speakers have never come across the word in writing or have never learnt it as an item of vocabulary, but may have just heard the word from others in speech. Hence they replaced it by the similar sounding word that they knew. Independent, independence – Both have made a different kind of mistake and both are incorrect. When natives speak about being independent of something, there is an implication that it was a nuisance or troublesome. It cannot be said about parents. The speaker B uses the noun form where the adjective form should be used. From the use of the above regular and irregular plurals, we can conclude that speaker B uses these words correctly and target like. He seems to have understood the count noun singular –plural contrast. CONCLUSION – The two speakers are similar in the way they diverge from the expected target forms in some respects, and different in other respects.