The Effect of Language

There are different ways of representing reality or concept. But language is one of the way people represent the world, people that belong to the same culture will describe the world in a similar way because they shared beliefs and having same ideology, and they are also able to exchange or represent this meanings and concepts.

Representation is the process that connects concepts, signs and the links between things which lies in the heart of creation of meaning in language. People who belong to certain group or culture and generally shared similar conceptual map, should also have one way of interpreting the signs of a language. Words in language are signs. According to Swiss linguist Ferdinard de Saussure, a sign is made up of two things: a signifier and signified. De Saussure definition of sign shows us the difference between sound (the signifier) and the concept the sound makes us think of (the signified). Putting the sound and the concept together forms a sign. For example, the word or image of a walkman (signifier), the portable cassette-player in ones head (signified).

The relationship that exist between words and their meaning is unintentional, no one can say why rice should be called rice or bread should be called bread, this arbitrary relationship that exist between words and their meaning was further explained by Ferdinard de Saussure, he said that the connection between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary does not suggest that words can mean whatever we like.

So one can say language is any means, vocal or other, by which feelings or thoughts are expressed or communicated. Generally, however, language means a body of words and the methods of combining these as understood by a community of people. Although people who speak different languages do think differently and that even some strange grammar can have a deep effect on the way we see the world. For example in my local language in Nigeria called "Ishan language" that does not have a specific word for words like breakfast, lunch and dinner that English language has, all we simply say is morning food or afternoon food and evening food, but when talking to fellow Ishan people about what time I had my food they still understand what I mean, this does not make English a better language than Ishan language, because there are still some words or expressions in Ishan language that does not exist in English language, and the Ishan language speakers still have words that represents every objects and actions, and it is done in a conventional manner.

Even within the country Nigeria where about 510 languages been spoken, some region uses different words, different expression in representing an object or actions. For example Edo language spoken in the southern part of Nigeria that does not have different word for afternoon greeting and evening greeting, one word is use for both good afternoon and good evening, whereas Yoruba language spoken mostly in the western part of Nigeria has word for good morning, good afternoon and good evening. If a Yoruba person travels to Edo state he or she might see things in a different form because of the language difference.

Benjamin Lee Whorf said "We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages...We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties