Limitations of language

The invention of language stands out as the most powerful tool that has enabled humans to transcend barriers of mind, time, territory and space. As a medium to think, observe and communicate within themselves and their surroundings, language has contributed to realising human potential and effectively catered to their communication needs. Without verbal language, the mental potential would have remained untapped, and any thoughts, ideas or intuitions would have been buried with the beholder.

Nevertheless, language is open to question due to its limitations. Does language completely fulfil human needs for expression? To put it differently, does language contain the words and expressions needed to convey feelings and emotions in their deepest and most original form? Unfortunately, no. While various socioeconomic, cognitive, educational and moral factors might contribute to this difficulty, language plays a significant role. We struggle to convey the true depth of our emotions and the genuine nature of things. More often than not, we are unable to accurately depict things and feelings as they truly are. Why is that so?

Life, in all its reality, is complex and deeper than what is spoken, written or expressed. The discoveries, imaginations and emotions often precede the nomenclature or vocabulary of a language, but the gap remains in place and makes expression shallower. This gap makes many thoughts and feelings unexpressed in true form and scenarios unexplained as they are. For instance, we find ourselves unable to express certain things or feelings if there are no matching words. Even when words exist, they may fail to capture the magnitude and depth of feelings or emotions. Resultantly, the stream of thoughts triggered by an event makes its depth immeasurable and often indescribable. Though allegorical expressions and metaphors are used to compensate shallowness of language, they are limited and rely on the existing knowledge and the vocabulary of a language. Consequently, we attempt to fit our emotions into existing words that only represent the tip and the rest of the iceberg left untouched.

Though this limitation might be a cultural universal, it remains a prominent aspect of our society. Appropriate words to encapsulate the essence of practices and people of our society have yet to be created. For instance, the magnitude of the issues surpasses what words like ‘chaos’, ‘failure’ and ‘fragility’ can convey. Meanwhile, the existing vocabulary found within languages hardly describes the pervasive hypocrisy that characterises much of our daily life. Word ‘corruption’, for instance, may point to corrupt practices, but it fails to comprehensively describe the depth, diversity and dimensions of corruption in our society. The existing thesaurus is inadequate in elaborating on the depth of deception, cunning and shrewdness displayed by politicians and those in power. In other words, words barely encapsulate the kleptocracy that the masses have been enduring since the country’s inception.

Meanwhile, the courtier tendencies, sycophancy, duplicity and falsely virtuous appearances of most of the clergy, bureaucracy, guardians, judges, civil society, media-persons, writers, human rights groups, feminists, liberals, rightists, leftists, nationalists and merchants of faith extend beyond the scope of existing vocabulary and expression. The manner they shift their allegiance, patrons and opinions represents a level of hypocrisy rarely be summed up or observed elsewhere in the world. The way they play with the public trust, beliefs, rights and sentiments defies description.

Furthermore, the real plight of marginalised sections goes beyond what words can express. Terms like ‘abject poverty’ and ‘starvation’ might hint at financial distress, but they often fail to paint the holistic picture of the agonies they endure.

And, why do we say we are fine when, in reality, we often are not? This is because people often fail to comprehend the magnitude of what we endure or try to communicate. The same holds true for other facets of life. Therefore, a comprehensive description necessitates the creation of new words that could capture the true essence of behaviour, practices, issues and feelings.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.