This article is a result of an interesting online discussion surrounding what is considered as language. Specifically, are images and music considered as a form of language? The discussion went like this: I proposed that “language is mind” and there isn’t a separate so called “mind” without language. The counterpose was that “when humans see a pieace of art (images) or hear a piece of music, they derived meaning from the experience, and thus there exist a ‘mind’ which uses language as a form of expression.”
That was the beginning of my thinking about this issue. Basically, what is the boundary of language? The flip side of the coin is thus, what is the boundary between the “mind” and simple mental activities?
I think we can safely say that language is formed by a set of clearly defined, highly codified symbols. Each element in a language has clearly defined meanings (which are derived from experiences, see my previous article), and even the logic among these elements is also highly specific. When people communicate using language, they are not free to derive meanings arbitrarily; Even when there are ambiguities, they are usually limited to a certain sets of possibilities.
Whereas, for objects of “art” such as paintings, sculptures, musics, etc, they transmit an “experience” directly, and the viewer may freely associate meanings to this direct experience. Take for example a painting of a seaside village, for some, it might invoke a feeling of melancholy, for some, that of freedom and relaxation. Yet for those who has never been to a seaside, it might create an exotic and curious feeling. It is the same with great literature: although constructed using words (language), the author constructed an experience without clearly defining the meanings, as such, the readers are free to construct their own meanings based on the experience they constructed. “There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes.” so said Shakespeare.
Correspondingly, there is a difference between common mental activities and the so called “mind”. What we understand as “mind” usually involves a process of rationalization: a process which involve the utilization of “language”. When we feel elation, we rationalize it, by expressing, even to ourselves, “I am happy”. The elation part is a mental activity which involve other physical reactions, the “I am happy” part is the rationalization of the mental activity and create a rational mind. The rational response to a personal experience is the part which can be communicated among people. It is in fact, created for the sole purpose of being communicable.
It that sense, the claim “Language is mind” is still an accurate description of this particular human phenomenon. However, by exploring the boundaries of language and mind, we can also say that “Language is the rationalizing of human experiences”.