Linguistic Consciousness and Some Questions of the Relationship between Language and Thought

I approach the problem of "language and thought" in the first instance practically, from the standpoint of the problem of constructing speech in a foreign language. The point is that mere knowledge of vocabulary and grammar is insufficient for this. A language entails a set of means for expressing thought, and one particular means must be chosen in each particular case. But often the basis for the choice is not indicated. For example, a Russian student studying the English language wants to say: "A glass of water is standing on the table." He knows all the English words necessary for this, and that the verb stand can be replaced by "is situated" or "is"; he also knows how to construct a sentence.