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In class we talked briefly about thought and whether it was a function of spirit, as Descartes claimed, or a function of the brain. This actually got me thinking about language as it is typically conceived of as being directly related to thought. Parts of the brain have been found to function in language acquisition, speech, word recall, etc. and if language is a function of a material object, wouldn’t that mean that thought is as well?

Does one even need language to think? To connect? I believe that higher functioning animals like dogs and horses are capable of thoughts relating to their surroundings and to past and future events, but they are not capable of language in the way we are. Perhaps thought is just a baser ability; a prelude to language.

How much of language affects the ability of humans to have complex thoughts? How much do alterations to the brain affect the ability to communicate and understand language? Do these alterations affect one’s ability to think, to have opinions?

Damage to the brain in locations that affect language has been known to change one’s ability to communicate and comprehend language. For example, Wernicke’s aphasia is a neurological disorder often caused by stroke. The resulting syndrome is sensory dysprosody, “the inability to perceive the pitch, rhythm, and emotional tone of speech.” (See Article) Individuals with Wernicke’s aphasia can speak fluently but the language content is incorrect. They use incorrect or nonexistent words while maintaining grammar, syntax, and fluidity of speech. For example, one might say something like “I called the door to bark and she flew before.” Patients usually have difficulty understanding speech and are unaware of their mistakes. Watch this video to hear patients with Wernicke’s aphasia speak. There are examples of individuals who recover from Wernicke’s aphasia who report that they were cognizant but could not control or understand what they were saying and what others were saying.

Individuals with Wernicke’s aphasia perhaps demonstrate that the ability to think abstractly is only partly related to the ability to understand and use language. Could thoughts really be related to spirit, as Descartes suggested? Or are their more observations just waiting to be discovered to explain this phenomenon? I favor the latter notion because I know that there is so much about the brain and how it functions that we don’t yet know.