Inherent Meaning

[sideshowbob]

You are writing ab-out a flying rodent. Otherwise you would have written, "A bat."

I did write about "a bat". That might be a flying mammal (not a rodent) or it might be something else. You don't automatically know which I meant because the word has no fixed inherent meaning.

 

[TheFrogger]

I'm sorry for assuming which. But you had something in your mind.

 

[sideshowbob]

I'm sorry for assuming which. But you had something in your mind.

I may have had something on my mind but you don't know what. Words are for communication. If what's on my mind isn't being communicated to you by a word then that word can not have an inherent meaning.

 

[TheFrogger]

But it has a translation?

 

[sideshowbob]

But it has a translation?

I don't know what you think translation has to do with it. It seems to me that that weakens your case even more. If somebody doesn't know which kind of bat I mean, how can he translate it accurately?

 

[TheFrogger]

But YOU know!

 

[DaveC426913]

But YOU know!

Since he chose it, and we don't know what he chose, it's not inherent.

You're just yankin' our chain now.

 

[sideshowbob]

But YOU know!

What I know is not inherent in the word. For example, I could be wrong about the definition of the word, or I could have my own personal definition of the word. When I say "bat", I might mean "chocolate-chip muffin". Unless you can tell from the word itself what I mean - and you can't - it has no inherent meaning.

 

[river]

What I know is not inherent in the word. For example, I could be wrong about the definition of the word, or I could have my own personal definition of the word. When I say "bat", I might mean "chocolate-chip muffin". Unless you can tell from the word itself what I mean - and you can't - it has no inherent meaning.

Yet when one refers to a bat , I refer to an animal that flies , eats insects and lives in caves .

 

[sideshowbob]

Yet when one refers to a bat , I refer to an animal that flies , eats insects and lives in caves .

That may be what you mean. How do you know what I mean?

 

[river]

That may be what you mean. How do you know what I mean?

What you mean is up to you , but you do what I mean .

 

[sideshowbob]

What you mean is up to you , but you do what I mean .

What I mean is up to me and what you mean is up to you. Therefore, there is no inherent meaning. The meaning depends on the person and on the context. The word itself has no meaning except the meaning that we give it on a particular occasion.

 

[river]

What I mean is up to me and what you mean is up to you. Therefore, there is no inherent meaning. The meaning depends on the person and on the context. The word itself has no meaning except the meaning that we give it on a particular occasion.

True

But once discussed , the word becomes defined , and can not be confused with any other definition .

 

[sideshowbob]

True

But once discussed , the word becomes defined , and can not be confused with any other definition .

The example I'm using - bat - has two definitions (at least). The word itself does not tell you which meaning is intended in the current situation. Hence, no inherent meaning.

 

[river]

The example I'm using - bat - has two definitions (at least). The word itself does not tell you which meaning is intended in the current situation. Hence, no inherent meaning.

Fair enough

 

[DaveC426913]

I once bought my infant nephew a batmobile.

But when I tried to hang it over his crib I realized one of them was still alive.

 

[river]

I once bought my infant nephew a batmobile.

But when I tried to hang it over his crib I realized one of them was still alive.

As you should , otherwise you are in trouble .

 

[Bowser]

bark, bark, bark! The tree has no bark.

 

[river]

Space is space , no connotations here

 

[DaveC426913]

Space is space , no connotations here

There's lots of space on this screen for text.