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Theory of Knowledge: Knowledge and Language

TOK_Language

Connecting with the Core

Key Concepts

If language works according to sets of rules and conventions, how much scope do we have to break or challenge them?

What is the relationship between words and meaning?  Is it possible to know something without being able to put it into words?

Do all people share an innate knowledge of a universal grammatical structure?  What knowledge might be lost if the whole world shared one common language?

 

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Should we try to overcome ambiguity in language?

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How are metaphors used in the construction of knowledge?

Things that make you go hmmm....

What is the nature of language? How does it convey meaning?

What are the limitations of language?

Can all ideas and concepts be expressed via words and symbols?

What makes language culturally acceptable or not?  Who decides?

Are some words inherently bad? Is there a relationship between ethics and language?

What's more important to understanding language: Vocabulary, grammar/syntax or culture?