Language and the Conscious Psyche: Auditory Language as an Answer to the Difficult Problem of David Chalmers
Journal of Philosophical Investigations November 30, 2025 Alireza Farnam
Language, particularly inner speech, may serve as a bridge between the brain's material processes and conscious mental experiences such as emotions and thoughts. Drawing on linguistic, neurological, and evolutionary evidence, the article argues that language enables sensory synchronization, conceptualization of sensory input, memory organization, continuous narrative formation, and modulation of arousal. These processes occur within memory, which acts as a platform for language and, through evolution, can retrieve images and information. By influencing internal arousal, language creates moods that align with retrieved memories, thereby contributing to the formation of qualia. The article suggests that human language evolved from an interpersonal tool into an internal language, as described by Vygotsky, and now influences all psychological functions including perception.