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To what extent do thinking and language develop separately.

The interrelation between thinking and language can be considered in three possible ways. Firstly, language detemines thinking. Secondly, thinking determines linguistic developement. Finally, thinking and language begin independently but eventually interact to determine interllectual and social development. Before examining these propositions it would seem necessary to define the main concepts. Many 'everyday' concepts become very complex when it comes to a concise definition and in psychology it depends who is defining them. A general and hopefully neutral definition of thinking is; 'any covert cognitive or conscious mental manipulation of ideas, images, symbols, words, propositions, memories,concepts, perceptions, beliefs or intentions'(1). Language is the use, vocally or sub vocally, of a system of arbitrary conventional symbols by which we convey meaning.
The linguistic relativity hypothesis was put forward independently in the 1930's by Whorf and by Sapir. This hypothesis claime...

Posted by: Alexander Bartfield

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