1 Students name Professors name Theory of Knowledge 15 October 2011 To What Extent Does the Vocabulary We Have Shape

What We Know? It is said that words appeared as metaphors that incorporated, through meaningful associations, what humans managed to discover about the surrounding world in the early stages of their development. As human beings acquired more knowledge, their vocabulary expanded and words became more specific, expressing precise aspects and concepts of human life. The economic, social and technological advancement that shaped the world we know today has thus implied an accumulation of vast knowledge that can be materialized through the appropriate use of words. Starting with the first years of our lives we use words to express needs, dangers, feelings, to discover the use and practicality of the things surrounding us as well as to dive into the study of intellectual and scientific thought that has been developed and passed on to us for generations. Our vocabulary is not a simple collection of words and their meanings; it is also a complex tool that can shape what we can know through different areas of knowledge. Some may say though that words are unnecessary and of little importance in subjects such as mathematics, which expresses its reasoning through symbols, or the arts, which captures and conveys human feelings beyond verbal expression. However, I strongly believe that our vocabulary is an instrumental tool that shapes what we know and what we can know about the world we live in because it facilitates communication and it incorporates more meaning into our lives. I will discuss this statement in relation to three areas of knowledge: mathematics, history and the arts. Mathematics is probably a subject that is least associated with the use of vocabulary. This is primarily because its core consists of developing certain ideas and principles through

2 the use of numbers that connect through formulas, and which, at their turn, relate to one another in order to portray a logical picture of a certain phenomenon. Advanced mathematics can rarely find a direct application into the real world and it is mostly used for scientific development, because without the use of formulas and numbers we wouldnt be at the technological level we are now. Some say that mathematics is a language by itself that claims universality. Therefore, one might state that our vocabulary has no power to shape what we know in this area of knowledge, that mathematics has made words obsolete and has raised above them. However, I believe that words are of outmost importance for children that learn basic mathematics. They learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide with the use of real life associations. At the same time, they study the different symbols used in mathematics and their meanings with the help of an extended vocabulary and the right use of words. Only after a certain stage, when students had acquired a certain mathematical though and autonomy, the role of vocabulary fades away. Still, the foundations of mathematical reasoning are best laid out through wide explanations and ingenious associations all with the clever use of our vocabulary. So, in this case, I can definitely say that the vocabulary we have can shape how we understand the basic concepts in mathematics, which if we manage to grasp properly, we can use the way of knowing reason to learn and further develop more complex mathematical theories. History is, at its turn, a very important area of knowledge that, if studied well enough, can provide us with valuable insight about the stages of human development as well as inspire us with good ideas for creating more prosperous societies and teach us about the mistakes to avoid and to learn from that were already made by our predecessors. History mainly represents a collection of past facts, used to portray, in chronological order, certain periods in our social, political, cultural and economic advancement. At a first look, vocabulary doesnt play a very important role beyond its function as a simple information

3 transmission tool since history records events that have already happened and shows them to the general public. Still, as an area of knowledge, history has a much more important role than that. It analyzes the steps in human evolution, trends and patterns in the development of thought, the way societies form and evolve, as well as the fundamental beliefs and particularities of different cultures all through the spectrum of past events. In order to get to understand and truly know all these aspects of history I believe that we have to have a well founded vocabulary, composed of words specific for a certain time period that depict objects, activities and concepts known to the people living in that era. At the same time, historians have to develop very well one particular way of knowing language which will help them better understand past cultures and societies. For example, the deciphering of the Rosetta stone has brought tremendous light upon the history of Ancient Egypt. Due to the ingenious use of vocabulary we are now able to know more about the ancient Egyptian society and culture, its principles, aspirations and what made it so strong and successful for centuries. By mastering the powerful meaning of words specific to a certain period in history our knowledge about that era will significantly broaden and will become holistic and wellfounded. It is impossible, I daresay, to know history well without having the appropriate vocabulary. The third area of knowledge that I would like to talk about is the area of the arts. Art is another way of expressing our knowledge, as well as our emotions. In visual arts, artistic expression consists, for example, of images, colors, patterns and textures used to convey meaningful emotions, ideas and aspirations. The pictures transmit the authors intended message, while the words play a secondary role. They are merely used to interpret the picture, while the picture is used to express the authors true intentions. Furthermore, nowadays psychologists use paintings and pictures as a way of finding out how people feel and what their emotional weaknesses are. Therefore, one can say that art is a perfect example

4 of how people can still gain knowledge without using words. For example, a lot of the knowledge we today have about the prehistoric times comes from the cave paintings discovered in Lascaux and other archeological sites. At the same time, many painters are acknowledged for the knowledge we have today due to their descriptive and representative paintings. By painting wars, kings and queens or even the historical monuments of their time, painters have helped our generation to gather information about the past. Without the knowledge transmitted through these paintings, there would be a big gap in the information we have about our ancestors and the times we live in. Painting can be considered, therefore, as a different way of talking and sharing knowledge. This knowledge would not be truly valued and developed if we wouldnt have an appropriate vocabulary to talk about it and share impressions. If the visual arts are supposed to express emotions and provoke powerful reactions from the viewing public reactions that would make us understand more out our culture, our society and about ourselves then all these understandings would be lost if we wouldnt be able to discuss about art, share opinions and discover new points of view. Having an appropriate, well developed vocabulary can help us talk to different people about art, to discover new meanings together and to further develop our knowledge. If we have a limited vocabulary, we wont be able to do so and therefore, we will be limited only our own humble opinions. The arts, in all forms literature, music, dance, visual arts are deeply connected to the emotional way of knowing. However, this doesnt mean that vocabulary has an insignificant role in expanding our knowledge. For example, I had a very interesting experience in my German class this year. We were reading a book called Der Name der Rose by Umberto Eco that consisted of a lot of religious writing and specific religious background. One girl in my class couldnt understand why the act of smiling was banned in the book and why it was so abhorred. This was so difficult for me to understand because by

5 reading the novel I understood the reason behind it, but due to her religious beliefs she couldnt understand why something like that could happen. I found it immensely astonishing how somebody who lives in the same cultural environment as I do could have such different views of the world. Therefore, I can say that literature influenced my knowledge because I got to see that a book that consists of a lot of written vocabulary could express so many different emotions and especially many different perspectives. I understood, in the end, that cultural blockades do exist and I learned that through literature. Thus, I would like to say that vocabulary has a tremendous importance in developing our knowledge. As human being, we have the wonderful ability to speak and express ourselves through words. This way we can share our impressions, ideas and desires, we can contribute to developing other ideas and ultimately build other pieces of knowledge. As I have showed in this essay, words are instrumental for teaching basic concepts that will lead to complex reasoning, they are also crucial for understanding cultures and societies to their very core and they are indispensible in human emotional and spiritual communication. Learning about the place I live in as well as about other places in the world can be possible, to some extent, through other means than words, but in the end, I believe that a vast vocabulary helps us better understand the world and learn more about it every day.