Date:  Wed, 6 Dec 1995 12:55:59 -0500

From:  "Salikoko S. Mufwene" <s-mufwene[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UCHICAGO.EDU>

Subject: Re: non-linguistic thinking



Didn't Jerry Katz publish a book titled LANGUAGE OF THOUGHT in the

mid-1970s? I think the point was that the language of thought need not be

like the surface form of any verbal language. Nor would I expect it to be

(all) verbal in the first place. We may also want to remember that verbal

language is an articulate system and not all thought is articulate either.

Here is another fact we should bear in mind: I do not know to what extent

we may expect infants to have verbal language (though they come equipped

with Universal Grammar, or a Bioprogram, whatever suits you) but they THINK

and solve problems in responding to various challenges! Those of you who

think in English or Chinese or whatever verbal language only, beware of

disadvantages you would have. For one think you would be too slow for many

things, even if you could use shortcuts/"routines".

Sali.





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Salikoko S. Mufwene            s-mufwene[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uchicago.edu

University of Chicago           312-702-8531; FAX 312-702-9861

Department of Linguistics

1010 East 59th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

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