The Power of Language: An Exploration of Wisdom

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Arabian Gulf University

10.18576/ijlms/070206

Abstract

The evolutionary existence of language illuminates the crucial exchange of communication people have achieved in different walks of life. Language manifests itself as a tool of thinking at a psychological and social level. The production of language in the oral or written context is a culmination of a mental process that reveals an overview of one’s thinking indicating thought, precision, intended meaning and much more. As such, the usage of language is a choice whereby the speaker chooses what, where, when and how to speak. This choice resembles a refining procedure where a speaker or writer selects the words wisely underlining that decisions are being made. When time and place pose importance in the exchange of language in the decision making process, wisdom stands out to seek a common good for all. Where language may be an utterance of words with or without context, the wise use of language presents itself as an ultimate instrument of expression, domination and even liberation. The mastery of language certainly paves the way for remarkable power and potential. Thus, beyond its communicating function, language puts forth unsurfaced powers; it affects one’s emotions, feelings, ideas, responses and reactions.
Language is viewed as a means of transmitting notions, sharing and exchanging information. In all of its manifestations, language is the tool, equipment and even weapon leading to success or failure of the accomplishment. However, at a deeper level, language allows the mental resources of individuals to combine via oral or written contexts, thereby enabling speakers and listeners, and writers and readers to bond beyond the word. The selection of words exchanged and perceived in such interactions can create worlds of thought, reflection and wisdom. In effect, the language we use along with the knowledge and wisdom put in its use create resources for not only individuals but communities as a whole. Indeed mental capacities are brought together when language is a social activity at play.

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