limmitations of Language

Language is only an invention of the human mind used as an extension of our natural capacity to interact in our environment. The situation in which we live our lives is tremendously diverse and monolithic compared to the rhetorical situation which oral and written language are used. The entirety of experience relies on the complete physical stimulation which evolution has allowed us which includes the capability to touch, smell, hear, taste, and see. Language is limited to what is audible and visual although our perceptions can be manipulated by other sensations. I do not consider language in the traditional sense to be entirely dependent on anything other than sight or hearing. Therefore, to fully experience life one must go beyond the limitation of relying solely on language, go beyond rhetoric and expand consciousness to surpass what is achieved through human communication.

We have adapted to use language in every aspect of our lives so much so that we are dependent on it. The majority of the experiences people have involves language, making it hard to distinguish one experience from the other. Language being indistinguishable from many of our experiences does not make it representative of all experiences. It is a part of a far more complex and diverse cognitive process that gives us our perception of life.

When life is allowed to exist only as a series of abstractions there is a disconnect between what is and what we perceive. If we were to consider language fully representative of all experiences then I think it would be a result of imposed restrictions. Restrictions like taking our strong connection to society and limiting experiences to those involving forms of social interaction. Then further social interaction could be restricted to popular outlets like texting, Facebook , Twitter or even blogs . When the norm becomes a series of restricted practices it is easy to forget or become oblivious to other ways of experiencing. This narrow-minded perception of experience is achieved through subtracting from life more and more things until all that’s left are a handful of practices that define who you are. In this sense language could be fully representative of someone’s total experience. But it doesn’t have to be and I think it would be a travesty if it were.