From Language to Thought

This article examines the relation between language and thought in the most general sense. According to the author, the vast majority of language scholars in the past and the Arabic language institutions consider the language as speeches and phrases. However, language is a tool for negotiations and communication. Language is intrinsically against enactment, complicacy and formalism. There are constant and variable elements in all languages. Constancy contains the lastingness of the language existence throughout generations, while variability involves the perpetual renewal and adaptation of language according to the data of changing facts. When Fusha (Literary Arabic) and colloquial language emerged as form of bilingualism in the Arab world, the Arabic language institutions defended the Fusha. However, some sections showed resistance at the point of taking side with the colloquial language. The function of the language institutions remained limited to protecting the Fusha in front of the excessiveness of the colloquial language. Hasan Hanefi after describing language as a very rich and widespread system, claims that the Arabic language institutions do not have any program for transforming and changing language to thoughts and from thoughts to real life. According to Hasan Hanefi, who continues to examine the relation between language and thought through some words and concepts, it is incumbent upon the linguists to find solutions for problems of language-thinking or to minimize them.