The relation between language, culture and thought viewed from the perspective of linguistic theories

Abstract

The article presents and discusses the interaction and mutual influence of language, culture and thought. Language is an essential means of communication between people, a direct result of human thought, and one of the principal criteria for identifying a nation. The article considers some of the numerous definitions of language and provides an overview of language-related theories by such outstanding researchers as Wilhelm von Humboldt, Edward Sapir, Ferdinand de Saussure and others. Language promotes the consolidation, identification and differentiation not only of nations, but also of ethnic communities and social groups. When studying language and its links with culture and thought, one has to take into account the effect of social factors on language and its structure, that is, the feasibility of studying language in its social context. As a product of national culture, language should be viewed as a unique phenomenon of human history. The relation between language and culture, language and thought as seen by the thinkers of different epochs, countries and schools, can be discussed endlessly. Linguists, anthropologists, political and social scientists, philosophers and psychologists, as well as cultural studies scholars continue to research a number of aspects of language-related phenomena. Undoubtedly, language and thinking are inextricably connected,interrelated, in direct interaction with culture and reality.

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