Arguments for "Yes, we can perceive things not expressed in our language":
* Sensory Perception: Our senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) provide us with a constant stream of raw data about the world. We don't need language to perceive color, texture, sound, etc. These experiences can be directly apprehended even if we lack the words to describe them perfectly.
* Non-Verbal Communication: We communicate through facial expressions, body language, gestures, and other non-linguistic cues. These convey emotions, intentions, and information that may be difficult to fully express verbally. We can perceive and understand these cues without relying on language.
* Cross-Cultural Understanding: Even with different languages, humans can often understand basic emotions, intentions, and social cues across cultures. This suggests a shared capacity for perception that transcends language barriers.
* Intuition and Experience: We often have insights, feelings, or understandings that are hard to fully articulate. These can stem from our subconscious, past experiences, or even biological processes. While we might not have language for them, we still perceive their influence on our thoughts and actions.
Arguments for "No, our perception is shaped by language":
* Linguistic Relativity (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis): This theory suggests that language influences our perception of the world. For example, people who speak languages with different color terms might perceive color differently. Language provides categories and structures for organizing our experiences.
* Language as a Tool for Thought: Language is a powerful tool for organizing, analyzing, and expressing our thoughts and feelings. It shapes how we understand and interact with the world. Without language, our perception might be more fragmented and less coherent.
* Concept Formation: We often rely on language to define and categorize things. Without language, it would be harder to form abstract concepts, generalizations, and even memories about our experiences.
The Bottom Line:
It's likely that our perception is a complex interaction between our senses, cognitive processes, and the influence of language. We can perceive things beyond the limits of our language, but language is a critical tool for understanding and communicating those perceptions.
Think of it like this: Imagine you see a beautiful sunset. You can perceive its colors, shapes, and feelings without needing to name every shade of red or orange. But to communicate that experience to someone else, you'll likely use language to describe it, even if your words only partially capture its essence.
The question of whether we perceive things not expressed in our language is a fascinating one with no simple answer. It highlights the intertwined nature of language, perception, and human experience.