The connection between language and
cognition is difficult to fathom in its entirety. As a result, different fields have
developed their own approaches to this problem. One theory I find especially interesting
is Lev Vygotsky’s Social Learning theory in the field of developmental
psychology because it approaches language as a key to cognitive development by
linking people to the social sphere. In Vygotskyan thought, thinking is a
result of internalizing the social processes in which we were raised. While not
all thought occurs in language, Vygotsky claims that a sort of “inner speech” (Christy,
2013, p. 201) evolves as the result of speech based interactions with other
individuals. In this framework, language is a key to socialization, and through
joint attention of the child and an adult “The system of representation… can in
turn be directed inward, with the internalization of dialogue making a shift
from intersubjective to subjective communication” (Christy, 2013, p. 201).
This
perspective on language and thought not only indicates that the two are
inextricable at many levels but gives a subtle nod to the ways that culture
affects how we think and who we are. Because of internalization, joint
attention becomes individual attention. Put another way, “language in this way
becomes… a means of directing one’s own attention” (Christy, 2013, p. 201).
This relates well to our class discussions, particularly to grammar. As
Salzmann and his colleagues note (2015, p. 364-365), grammatical gender does
appear to bias memory and associations of various concepts. This confirms
Vygotsky’s thoughts because it means that language teaches us what to pay
attention to as individuals via social interaction. Vygotsky’s work illustrates
that language is a connector for culture and thought, allowing cultural ideas to
be internalized and processed through education.
References:
Christy, T.C. (2013). Vygotsky, cognitive development and language: new perspectives on the nature of grammaticalization. Historica Linguistica 40 (1/2), 201. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.
Salzmann, Z., Stanlaw, J., &
Adachi, N. (2015). Language, culture, and
society (6th ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
I definitely agree with the idea that inner speech develop due to interactions with other individuals. My three-year-old niece spent much of the year between her 2nd and 3rd birthdays being taken care of by her nanny and other adults, but not a lot of time with children her own age. Due to these social relations with adults she has developed a manner of speaking that seems more adult like than childlike. I have witnessed this when she is having a conversation with a pretend person. Her adult like inner speech is displayed directly through these conversations and is result of her interactions with the adults in her life.
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