The study of a language reveals a people's characteristics, how they regard life, what is important to them. Language is important not only because it conveys our thoughts, but also because it shapes them. Our view of the universe is inherent in the structure of our language. Our grammar and vocabulary determine whether phenomena are seen as continuous events or as objects. The rigid sense of time intrinsic to Western culture is directly related to and enforced by the structure of our verbs.
Language sets the boundaries of our lives.
We are duped by our symbols. Now we are, bombarded daily with symbols, not only from the printed page but from radio, television, and computers. Mass media present us with forceful new languages that should be studied to understand how they work to affect our perceptions. We must become aware of the tremendous influence that language has on us, and also understand the relation between words and what they stand for. The role of today's visual poet is to carry on in the tradition of the Indian vedic poets, the zen buddhists, poets Chuang Tzu and William Blake, and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who each attempted to explode our familiar language patterns so we can see clearly and directly.