Language and self image

One way in which the image of God is reflected in man, is that man is verbal. "His ability to talk to himself, to argue with himself, to propose lines of activity, tentatively, before embarking upon them, is a crucial part of his selfhood. ... To me, as a linguist, it seems extraordinary that it is precisely in the area of language that science can study directly ... one component - a communicative system - where man shares a characteristic with God." Dr. Pike also describes the self-contradictory nature of extreme behaviorist thinking, which asserts that everything a person does, every word he speaks, is determined by his environment. He also discusses some ethical implications for the study of linguistics and anthropology.