Language and Language Diversity Play an Important

Language and language diversity play an important role in the critical thinking process because these components help the individual determine and identify under what category or perspective information should be assigned to. This means that given a set of concepts and perspectives that an individual has, through language, one can easily identify the kind of information given and determine whether this information is best understood and analyzed using a particular context or perspective. For example, an individual who knows how to speak both English and Chinese would have a different kind of critical thinking analysis when information is given to him/her in Chinese or English. Both languages are culture-bound, thus, there is a different kind of thinking among the Chinese and Americans: while the latter tend to subsist to a worldview that is mainly individualist, the former subsists to a more collective perspective. Language diversity allows an individual to become 'flexible,' able to adapt to the differences in perspectives or worldviews of each language. Through language diversity, one achieves a wider understanding of the different ways in which reality is experienced.

2. Analyzing the benefits of language to human society in general, it can be said that language is actually an empowering tool among humans. Language is synonymous with empowerment because this is what distinguishes us from the rest of the living world: the ability to communicate and express one's self is a feat not successfully achieved by any member of the animal specie. Thus, because of our capability to communicate and in effect, to think rationally, we have 'empowered' human society through their ability to create a culture that is organized and distinctly humane.

Though language is generally empowering, it also presents limitations, especially with the wide variety of languages that have developed through time. Differences in language use results to different worldviews, or the perspective in which the individual tries to analyze and understand his/her reality. Instead of promoting unity and understanding among humans in general, language diversity creates sub-human cultures and creates misunderstanding because of the non-universality of each of these languages. In effect, though language and the capability to communicate is deemed as vital to human society, diversity and differences in terms of language (i.e., codes or symbols) limit people from their respective cultures, and cannot establish universal understanding and unity.