The Importance Of Language In Critical Thinking

946 Words2 Pages

1. Language has been around for thousands of years, used to communicate with each other everyday in some sort of form. It has changed dramatically over the years and is used differently around the world. In the United States, we speak in the English language, while in China, they speak Chinese, it’s various from place to place. It is estimated that there is a total of 6000 languages around the world according to linguists, but that number is still uncertain. (Language, 2016). 2. Words can have a lot of meaning, either being negative, positive, and even a person’s tone can influence critical thinking. Language can often be misunderstood when communicating with others which can either be the truth, a lie, or even misleading. There are several factors that can be used in the language that can impact critical thinking, such as: a. Definitions b. Ambiguity c. Choice of Words d. False Implications 3. Definitions: a. Defining yourself is important, if you provide a good definition, this can lead to less misunderstands, while if you provide a poor definition, it could confuse a person. (Carroll, 2004). So, if you wanted to explain something to someone, a person should be sure that they understand it to avoid further complications and to make the other person understand their …show more content…

There are other factors that can impact critical thinking when it comes to language, and with those comes some challenges. One such challenge is culture, as mentioned, there are more than 6000 languages spoken around the world. This can prove to be a challenge because we all can’t speak each and every one of those languages. Even words themselves can present a challenge because each word can have a different meaning. Critical thinkers will try to understand what the problem is and how to solve it, but if the wrong words are used, it can further complicate matters. Another challenge that can occur are lack of facts, not enough information, or the information given to you is either false or

Open Document