The acquisition of language invites symbolic representation. Language provides representational resources that are used to encode and reason about situations. In particular, relational language supports relational representation, which is crucial to human cognitive powers. A relational term such as carnivore or consequence is both an invitation to derive a relational meaning and a label that helps preserve the relational pattern once it is grasped. I suggest three specific ways in which relational language contributes to human cognition.
(1) Common labels invite comparison and abstraction. When two things have the same name, even 2-year-olds are more likely to compare them. The implicit assumption is that there is something alike about them.). The resulting common system is likely to be more abstract than the original representations, rendering it more portable to further situations.
(2) Linguistic labels promote reification. Naming a relational constellation confers stability and increases the likelihood of retention and reuse.
(3) Metaphoric extension of linguistic terms supports abstract thought. This is especially clear in extensions of spatial relational terms, such as prepositions.
I’ll illustrate these points with empirical studies of the effects of language on cognition in adults and children.