Language as a Way of Knowing

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Language as a Way of Knowing
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Denotations and Connotations

• Denotation
• The most literal and limited meaning of a word,
  regardless of what one may feel about it or the
  suggestions and ideas it implies.
• Connotation
• The suggestion or implication evoked by a word or
  phrase over and above what they actually mean or
  denote. A connotation may be personal and
  individual, or general and universal.

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Names and connotations

• Shakespeare wrote, Whats in a name? That which
  we call a rose by any other name would smell as
  sweet. Would it have made a difference to the
  story had Romeo fallen in love with Harriet or
  Susan, not Juliet?
• Does your name (first name, last name) mean
  anything? If it doesnt, is it easy to imagine
  exchanging it for any other name?
• In your society, are there more common and less
  common last names? Do certain names have certain
  socio-economic, political, religious, ethnic, or
  other connotations?
• When you hear names like Smith, Goldstein, or
  Gomez do particular associations come to mind?
  Where do these come from? Are these assumptions
  or connotations true in the same way that saying
  triangles have three sides is true?
• What would your view be of someone what you have
  casually spoken to whose business card you
  happened to find on the floor and whose name is
  accompanied by MD, D.Phil, CEO, Mrs., III,
  Junior?
• How might your preconceptions about names
  influence your perception of the people you meet?
  How might others preconceptions of your name
  (or nationality, religion, skin color, etc.)
  affect how they perceive you?
• Whats in a Name? by Gloria Naylor

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Language and Knowledge Issues

• In trying to determine whether we are being given
  a factual
• report, think about the following knowledge
  issues when using
• language as way of knowing
• Selection
• Out of all possible events or details that could
  have been reported, what has been chosen? Is it
  possible to compare the description with another
  by someone else? Recognize that the purpose of
  the report and its intended audience affect what
  details are included.
• Emphasis
• Out of all the events and or details reported,
  what has been stressed as most important, and,
  again, what do the guiding values or criteria
  seem to be for this emphasis? How has the
  emphasis been achieved through placement of
  ideas in the main clause rather than the
  subordinate clause of the sentence? through
  placement in emphasized position, such as the
  final words of a sentence or paragraph? through
  more detailed treatment of some details rather
  than others?

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Language and Knowledge Issues

• Word Choice
• What kind of language has been used, and does it
  seem to be appropriate to the apparent purpose of
  the description? Is it denotative, factual
  language, or is it connotative and suggestive?
  What emotions are expressed? What values,
  positive or negative, are expressed or suggested?
  Is there evidence of bias? Is a person described
  as courageous or reckless, as relaxed or
  lazy, as curious or nosy, as assertive or
  pushy? The choice of words in the description
  may tell you more about the writers values than
  about the person being described.
• Context
• In what context has the description been placed,
  and how might this framing affect the overall
  meaning of the passage? What does its purpose
  seem to be?

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Problematic Meaning/Knowledge Issues in Language

• Vagueness
• Many words are intrinsically vague, and their
  meaning
• depends on context.
• Activity
• Without thinking too much about it, write a
  figure down for
• each of the following
• 1. John lives close to his school. How near
  does he live?
• 2. Mr. Smith is middle-aged. How old is he?
• Discuss
• Do you think communication would be improved if
  we got rid
• of vague words, or do you think they sometimes
  serve a
• Useful purpose?

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Problematic Meaning/Knowledge Issues in Language

• Ambiguity
• Many words and phrases are ambiguous. The
  duchess
• cannot bear children can mean either that the
  she is unable
• to have children, or that she cannot stand them.
• Activity
• Each of the following sentences is ambiguous.
  Give two
• different meanings for each.
• 1. They saw Mrs. Jones and the dog sitting under
  the table.
• 2. Visiting relatives can be boring.
• Discuss
• To what extent can punctuation help to reduce the
  ambiguity
• of a sentence?

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Problematic Meaning/Knowledge Issues in Language

• Secondary Meaning
• Denotations, connotations, and use of euphemisms
• are all important.
• Activity
• Explain the different connotations of each of the
• following sets of words
• slender, skinny, thin
• stench, smell, fragrance
• Discuss
• List some euphemisms for ugly or stupid. Why
  are these
• more acceptable terms?

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Problematic Meaning/Knowledge Issues in Language

• Metaphor
• We also give language implied meanings.
• Discuss
• Explain the differences between the two following
  sentences
• My brother is a butcher. And My dentist is a
  butcher.
• Irony
• Irony means that we cannot necessarily take a
• statement at face value, and it adds another
  layer
• of ambiguity to language.

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Misplaced Modifiers

• Fine food expertly served by waitresses in
  appetizing forms.
• For sale an antique desk suitable for lady with
  thick legs and large
• drawers.
• Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not
  smoke or drink.
• Have several very old dresses from grandmother in
  beautiful
• condition.
• Mixing bowl set designed to please a cook with
  round bottom for
• efficient beating.
• Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our
  church and
• community.

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Missing or Mutilated Modifiers

• The following are examples of missing or
  mutilated modifiers, again
• all from real life signs, ads or notices
• Dinner Special -- Turkey 2.35 Chicken or Beef
  2.25 Children 2.00.
• Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and
  get an extra pair to take home, too.
• For those of you who have children and don't know
  it, we have a nursery downstairs.
• Don't let worry kill you -- let the church help.
• The hotel has bowling alleys, tennis courts,
  comfortable beds, and other athletic facilities.

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Language Questions

• What is the role of language in knowing? How
  does it influence what we know and how we know
  it?
• How could you know about the world if you had no
  language or means of communicating with other
  people?
• How easy is it to misunderstand the body language
  of someone from a different culture?
• What words have entered the English language due
  to technology? How does technology affect
  language as a way of knowing?
• Do animals have language? How do we KNOW?
• How would you try to explain to a blind person
  what the word red means? What does this
  suggest to you about the limitation of
  definitions?

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Language Questions

• To what extent is your use of language
  accompanied by images? Does every word conjure
  up an image or only some of them?
• Do you think communication would improve if we
  got rid of vague words or do they sometimes serve
  a useful purpose? What do you think Charles
  Sanders Peirce meant when he stated, It is easy
  to be certainone only has to be sufficiently
  vague.?
• How does one translate idioms into another
  language? Try these
• David is barking up the wrong tree.
• Samuel was only pulling your leg.
• If you are fluent in more than one language, to
  what extent do you think differently when you
  switch between languages?
• Does the way you describe something affect how
  you feel about it?
• Should offensive language be censored?
• Does math have its own language?