Linguistic Impact

We often recognise the mother tongue of a person from the accent in which some other language is spoken.

Way beyond that, we also see the impact of the language, especially the colloquial in vogue, which affects the attitude to some significant extent. Typically, when two people who speak the same native tongue meet at an ‘off-site’ location the compatibility levels are far better when they speak the local language, instead of their common mother tongue. There is mix of contrast in this aspect. They do rejoice having seen somebody who speaks their mother tongue, but such joy is short lived, and should be spanned if it is to last, not on a cohabitation-basis. That is exactly the point. Exceptions are always there.

It was perhaps under this backdrop that a wonderful question caught my attention.

There was a deeper twist to the question. It was about the “cognitive process” ….. being ‘affected’ by the language, the mother tongue in particular. We cannot rule out entirely the relevance of the question, especially when we find the ‘Urdu’ language, which by itself induces certain grace amidst the speakers, especially the ones skilled at the language. This language is able to effortlessly express certain subtle emotions leaving the bulk of many prominent global languages languishing behind, in its competition. Even a simple work like ‘Thanks’ finds direct translation only in Urdu, to its perfection. It is not about trying to compare and elevate one language by devaluing another. Each language has many unique characteristics, which makes it incomparable. For instance, Telugu is considered the sweetest. The best and bulk of musical compositions (Carnatic classical) are found in Telugu language only. Similarly, Tamil has only light consonants, which makes it the only language that can be loudly spoken by a lady even during the advanced stage of pregnancy!

So, it was the “process” of cognition that needed attention. Obviously perception and its levels was what the question tried to address.

PSN(5^TH May, 2011)

http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110428165413AAqtxzp

Are our cognitive processes affected by our mother language?

My reply:

Cognitive processes get 'conditioned' over a period of time, due to deterioration in the perception levels.
Perception deteriorates due to preoccupied mind. Babies are at the peak of cognitive processes upto the age of 2 at least. The question occurs because the language is picked up around the age of 2 and onwards, and then on the cognition percentage drops gently but steadily. It is not the language by itself, but the conditioning of mind into which the language drives a person. Cognition is the function of the intellect, which by itself, and importantly, when left to itself, is at peak levels. For example, the cognition of gravity happened when the mind was relaxed, silent but alert, when the eyes saw the apple fall. The lid of the tea kettle blew up due to steam pressure, and we got the locomotives. The water overflowed displacing the odd-sized, odd-dimensioned body immersed in the bath tub, and there was "Eureka" (the famous ratio between mass and volume!). All these are demonstrable examples of excellent 'cognition processes, not affected by language, because when the mind is silent, alert and relaxed, language has no scope to interfere (not even the verbal thought processes)