Impact of Thought as a Cognitive System in Brain on Shaping Language as a Symbolic System in Reality

Abstract

A lot of controversial perspectives agree and disagree on the relationship between language and thought and how language functions in the cognitive system in the human brain. Some scholars see that language is something we do without thinking, and others see that we think before we start speaking. So, this study was conducted as an endeavor to shed some lights and investigate about the relationship based on literature review per se. Mainly, this study tries to answer the following questions: Is language a reflection of our innate system structure in our brain? How can thought affect on language as a symbolic system of meaning? The researcher of this study endeavored to search thoroughly on how cognitive linguistics theories answer these two main questions. In this study, the researcher based on literature review to present facts and views regarding the relationship between language and thought. The study, however, has reached some conclusions, amongst of which is that language as a symbolic system is embedded within a system of cognition in the brain, which Chomsky refers to as competence and De Saussure refers to as langue. The study, also, concludes that language provides an interesting view for the study of human cognitive abilities, which leads us to the question: Does language influence thought or vice versa?