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Ways of Knowing: TOK WOK. Ways of Knowing. How do we know something? For TOK they divide it down into 4 categories Language Perception Reason Emotion. What is Language?. Consider Language is rule governed Language is intended Language is creative and open ended.
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Ways of Knowing • How do we know something? • For TOK they divide it down into 4 categories • Language • Perception • Reason • Emotion
What is Language? Consider • Language is rule governed • Language is intended • Language is creative and open ended
Language is rule governed • Quan • Koira • Kutta • Madra • Inu • Gae • Hund • Why does Dog mean dog? • Why do we visualize a dog when we say these 3 letters • These are the tribe rules
Language is Intended • You are in class, the teacher is writing on the board, you catch someone's eye and make a yawning gesture by putting you hand to your mouth • You try to look interested when the teacher is talking you but yawn by accident • Which of the above can be described as language
Language is Creative and open-ended • “The wise cow seeks shelter from the snow at dusk” • Make up a wise saying that has never been said before • Is sign language a language? • 3 minutes • Do animals have language? • 3 minutes
The problem of Meaning • We get our a lot of our knowledge in the form of language • Lots of problems here • What is a meaningful word and what is not • 3 main theories
Meaning of words: Definition theory • Meaning is to be found in a dictionary • How would you describe this • The meaning of a work and its dictionary meaning may be incorrect.
Meaning of words :Denotation theory • Found in the world • i.e. France • What about abstract words like • Freedom • wisdom
Meaning of words :Image Theory • You have an image in you head when speaking the word it is meaningful • Problem here is that the image in you head may be different to the next person
All 3 theories have problems • Therefore the Know How theory • You know the meaning of a word if you know how to use it
Language at war • Arms Sales • Kill • Dead • Dead Soldiers • Bombing • Dropping bombs on a target • Bombed cities • Firing on your own troops • Retreat • Invade • Censorship • Unprovoked • Genocide
Language to influence and persuade • Terrorist/ freedom fighter • Pro life / pro choice • Genetically modified food/ Frankenstein • Free speech / hate speech • Department of War/ Department of Defense 1947
Weasel Words • Our product can restore up to 25% of lost hair • Probably the best larger in the world • Dentifresh toothpaste helps fight tooth decay • If Timothy works hard he should do himself justice in the final exam • Find the weasel works in the above
Language and Translation • What would be the advantage and disadvantage if everyone in the world spoke a single common language? • What would be gained by this and what would be lost?
2nd Language • “Who does not know another language does not know his own” • Goethe 1749-1832 • What can you learn about your own language by studying a second language • 10 minutes in groups
Key points for today • A great deal of our knowledge comes through language • Language is • Rule governed • Intended • Creative • Meaning of words is a matter of know how • Weasel Words • Language and translation
Scenario: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis • Linguistic Determination • “Whether language actually allows you to have new thoughts is a very controversial issue.”
Linguistic Relativity • The belief that people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world quite differently
WOK • Ways of Knowing • 4 Ways