I think communicating clearly with the word “woman” is entirely possible for many given audiences. In many communities, there exists an internal consensus as to what region of the conceptual map the word woman refers to. The variance of language between communities isn’t confined to the word “woman”—in much of the world the word “football” means what American’s mean by “soccer”. Where I grew up i understood the tristate area to be NY, PA, and NJ—however the term “the tristate area” is understood by other groups to mean one of … a large number of options.
(Related point: I’m not at all convinced that differing definitions of words is a problem that needs a permanent solution. It seems entirely plausible to me that this allows for beneficial evolution of language as many options spawn and compete with each other.)
I’m not at all convinced that differing definitions of words is a problem that needs a permanent solution.
I agree! There is certainly utility in relying on language as a coordination mechanism but, though frustrating at times, there’s beauty in the fluidity of language and meaning. It’s the basis of art, poetry, and even insights sometimes.
I think communicating clearly with the word “woman” is entirely possible for many given audiences. In many communities, there exists an internal consensus as to what region of the conceptual map the word woman refers to. The variance of language between communities isn’t confined to the word “woman”—in much of the world the word “football” means what American’s mean by “soccer”. Where I grew up i understood the tristate area to be NY, PA, and NJ—however the term “the tristate area” is understood by other groups to mean one of … a large number of options.
(Related point: I’m not at all convinced that differing definitions of words is a problem that needs a permanent solution. It seems entirely plausible to me that this allows for beneficial evolution of language as many options spawn and compete with each other.)
I agree! There is certainly utility in relying on language as a coordination mechanism but, though frustrating at times, there’s beauty in the fluidity of language and meaning. It’s the basis of art, poetry, and even insights sometimes.