Language is for thought and communication

Wiltschko, Martina

doi:https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.5786

Language is for thought and communication

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Citation

Wiltschko M. Language is for thought and communication. Glossa. 2022;7(1):19 p. DOI: 10.16995/glossa.5786

Abstract

There is an ancient debate about whether language is an instrument for thought or for communication. I argue that the distinction is misleading, and that language is an integral part of both, human-specific thought, and communication. The argument is based on the growing consensus that grammatical knowledge – a hallmark of human language – encompasses not only the propositional content of an utterance but also its communicative content. If communicative content is regulated by grammatical knowledge, then it follows that communication is as much a function of language as thought is.