Exploring the Relationship Between Language and Life

Ashi Krishnan's presentation at EMPEX LA 2019 delves into the idea that language is not merely a tool but a living entity that grows, evolves, and interacts with its environment, which includes human interaction and cognition. Ashi explores the process of designing a programming language as an exercise similar to pure math, involving walking into a world of concepts and shaping something new. The talk emphasizes the powerful influence language has on shaping our reality, highlighting its connection to thought, social systems, and our bodies. Ashi suggests that understanding language as literally alive, one can appreciate its evolution, its shaping of human history, and the co-evolution of human physiology for linguistic capability. The discussion includes linguistics theories, the origins of language through gesture and sign, the impact of language on shaping our bodies and minds, and how it shapes and is shaped by communities. Krishnan ultimately reminds us of our creative power to shape language, narratives, and the world at large.