Weekly Quote: Beveridge on Language

Careful and correct use of language is a powerful aid to straight thinking, for putting into words precisely what we mean necessitates getting our own minds quite clear on what we mean.
- William Ian Beardmore Beveridge, Quoted in: Introduction to Logic, by Irving M. Copi and Carl Cohen.

What is the relationship between language, thought, and ideas? That's an interesting question which Beveridge raises in this quotation - a quotation which I found, not coincidentally, in an introductory text on logic. The reason for this is that Beveridge's point is very important: how we explain, structure, and understand our ideas is very dependent upon our ability to use language.

I can attest to this from my own personal experiences. You might be surprised at just how common it is for me to sit down and start writing on a topic with only a few vague ideas about my intentions. It is through the very act of writing a piece, however, that I come to better understand what those ideas are, how they are related, how to express them, and how to structure an argument using them.

Of course, that frequently entails going back and revising things written just a few minutes ago in order to take into account something newly written and, therefore, newly understood. One could say, without being too far wrong, that I discover what I think by writing it down. It's actually a bit disturbing because it gives rise to the question of just how far my ideas are being determined by the words I use - do I, in fact, really "think" these things in the first place, or are my ideas instead a product of particular linguistic patterns?

If language is so critical to the use and understanding of ideas and arguments, how can one improve in this area? An obvious answer is through formal study: memorizing vocabulary lists and reading grammar texts. I cannot claim that there is no value to such formal study, but ultimately the value here is limited. Real improvement comes through the method that applies to most of what we do: practice. The more you practice using language, the better you will become.

There are two ways that you can practice using language: receipt and transmission. The "receipt" of language is, naturally, reading and listening - and, yes, that is a use of language because you are using language to understand what is being communicated. I recommend reading - read more books, read more magazines, and read at the highest level you feel comfortable with. The more you read new words and complex grammatical structures, the more comfortable you will be with them - and that, in turn, can lead to being able to use them well.

It is, after all, the improved production of language we are aiming for. The better you are at structuring your thoughts and ideas, the better you will be able to understand them. That, in turn, will allow you to be able to express them in a variety of ways (helping others understand you) as well as allow you to be able to identify flaws which need to be fixed. This is where skills with logic and critical reasoning come in - but notice that skills with language come first.

People who spend a lot of time being concerned with spelling, vocabulary, and grammar are frequently saddled with the label "anal retentive" or "uptight" - and perhaps there is some bit of truth to that. However, that is by far not the whole story. While it is possible for a person to take such concerns too far, it is also common for many to have far too little concern for them.

More Weekly Quotes: commentary and analysis each week on a different quotation dealing with philosophy, religion, and more.