Tag Archives: linguistics

A world of symbols (Part 6): Degrees of understanding

Bean bag chairs in an office space
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This post presents a model for understanding the different ways that people can relate to symbols and their substance. Back in Part 2, I mentioned that, apart from surrogating on symbols, we can use them as symbols, for the indirect benefits we’ll receive from our audience—this post speaks more to that idea. Continue reading →

A world of symbols (Part 5): Language’s arbitrary influence

1600s English men in formal attire
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The concepts you most readily use to understand your experiences are determined by the language through which you learned them. And that language has been shaped arbitrarily by your own culture as well as cultures that came before it. Only by consciously avoiding those ready-made concepts can you actually notice the full spectrum of your experience. Continue reading →