Roger's Re-think: PLOVER - WHY LANGUAGE?

There isn't a simple correspondence between what we express in language and what we mean. Nor between what we receive in a language and what it means for us.

For all intents and purposes language is something we have to take as a given. When we need to interact with another human (or maybe even an animal) what we want to do is to convey meaning. But all we have is language.

Of course language is not restricted to verbal (spoken, handwritten, typed or encoded); it could be body language, tone of voice, wordless sounds, diagrams - or even flowers, other gifts, art, rituals or drama - or a combination. Even personal appearance can be 'making a statement'. And of course the physical message may be carried on various media and transmitted through various channels, not just face to face.

The picture (which is similar to one in the PLOVER slide show) shows the many hazards threatening my ability to get the meaning that my brother Phil intended - and so to act appropriately. We each see the world through different lenses, although as brothers we share some common culture. We each may filter out some things we don't want to entertain.

The communication may depend on the sort of situation we are communicating in. We may be buying or selling, competing, facing danger, expressing solidarity with a group, asking questions, or just making social small talk. This is the issue of language games and the roles each individual plays in them. For more on this click this link.

The over-riding trigger for my posting details of my re-think is my concern about drowning in a sea of bullshit. That 'b' word may not be acceptable in polite company, but today it is a seriously discussed topic - see the Wikipedia page. Put more nicely, I have lost faith that what I hear, see or read is a reliable source of meaning. While I have been concerned about this for some time, it seems that too many of my fellow humans are not "reading between the lines" of an avalanche of lies, evasions, equivocations, hype, myth and rhetorical tactics. In terms of the picture above, it could be a spin doctor - rather than Phil - on the sending end. Worse, it could be AI software generating a false message using a simulation of Phil's voice.

I have been looking at bullshit for a while now, and if you would like to read more, please click one of the links below.

There is a language of flowers. I once sent a bunch of yellow chrysanthemums to a girlfriend after a tiff. She wrote back saying her mother had told her that yellow meant faithlessness. That probably correctly applied equally to both of us.

Links to book highlights and essays related to Language

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This version updated on 22nd June 2023