Hi all,
One more time round the merry go round. Here is a thought (from a
previous post) that might be useful.
There is a way of thinking about language and metaphors that has the
capacity to make life simpler. Many of the problems in discussing
language arise because we treat language as some sort of 'thing'. As
a 'thing' we can do things with 'it'. For example, 'language as a
tool' ala Terry.
If, instead, we regard language as something we do—languagING: a
class or type of action, rather than a class of object or thing—then
many of the problems disappear.
So, in the case of metaphor,instead of talking about metaphors as
objects we talk about metaphorising as a particular type of action,
something we do, then the type of questions we can ask become subtly
inflected and less controversial. Though we are still left with the
richness that arises from different people acting differently when
they metaphorise.
Languaging, for me is the the quintessential, and most important,
collaborative design project that people have ever undertaken, and
includes making gestures as well as our many other forms of
languaging. But that's just my opinion (on the back of Wittgenstein
et al).
Think through the implications. It might help.
David
--
blog: www.communication.org.au/dsblog
web: http://www.communication.org.au
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