The growth of language

Someone once said, in answer to an invitation to draw up a chair, “It depends what you mean by ‘chair’; do you mean the thing, the word, or the concept?” There seems to be some relevance in this to the idea of a vector as a physical object, as against its “name” as a triad of numbers, or as an algebraic entity. In illustration, one could point to a table, and give the word for it in several languages. It is clear that communication is only possible at any reasonable level by having first established a language, and then using it as a vehicle for thought. Some would say we cannot think without language; whether this be true or not, the articulate speaker seems brimful of ideas, and the tongue-tied individual dull.