The Multiple Roles of Language in Cognition: A Pluralistic Framework for the Architecture of Mind

Description

Page: 487-491

Sonee and Sajid Parwez (Department of Psychology, Sona Devi University, Ghatsila, Jharkhand)

The relationship between language and human cognition is a central and enduring question in philosophy and cognitive science. While many have argued for the importance of language as a tool for communication, a more profound and controversial position posits that language actively contributes to, or even fundamentally modifies, the way cognition operates. The nature of this contribution, which cognitive capacities it interacts with, and how it modifies, enhances, or adds to them are complex issues that have been addressed by numerous approaches across disciplines. A critical review of these perspectives reveals a recurring and problematic assumption: the attempt to explain the role of language in human cognition by assigning it a single, overarching function. This paper argues against this monolithic view and proposes a pluralistic framework. It suggests that language plays multiple, distinct roles, and that a comprehensive theory of the human mind must account for these various interactions. The central approach is that language’s influence is not uniform across all cognitive processes. Instead, it interacts with different mental subsystems in different ways-sometimes subtly, sometimes profoundly-and can even lead to the emergence of entirely new capacities. This approach offers a more nuanced and empirically grounded perspective, one that can synthesize seemingly disparate or competing theories and resolve long-standing debates in the field (Carruthers, 2006; Dennett, 1991).