It was mentioned in class that one of the basic capacities of the capable self is to remember polysemy of words which means that a word has many meanings. When I heard this, I remembered our lesson from Filipino 12 about the same topic. Our professor in Filipino 12 told us that every meaning of a word represents a different kind of situation that a person has experienced with that word. He stated the word ice as an example. He said that the people in cold places like Antarctica have about thirty or more definitions of ice. This is because each person, who contributed to the meaning of the word ice, has physically experienced a different situation with the ice. To explain this further, I would like to site a scenario wherein two different people have experienced a different situation with ice. The first person might define dry ice as a very cold object because that person has felt it physically. On the other hand, the second person might define it as an opaque substance by just merely looking at it. By now, it is clear that a definition of a word depends entirely or mostly on the experience of the person with that word.
Also, it was stated in class that when you combine words to make a sentence, you will produce a new meaning. In my understanding, we can change the meaning of a sentence by just changing a word in the sentence. So in reality, meanings or definitions in our world are infinite. Everything that we can see, feel, touch, taste and smell in this world of ours has meaning.
Lastly, Sir Garcia also mentioned that all of Shakespeare’s words can be found in the dictionary, but no one else can put those words together in a way that he can, nobody can do it but him. In my opinion, this means that every single one of us have a different way of constructing our own sentences or language even if we do speak the same language. We all have our unique way of expressing ourselves not only in action, but also in our words. By having our own unique way of constructing sentences or language, we are able to add ourselves to the infinite meaning that our world possesses.
I think that we have gotten so used to words and language that we have neglected its essence and significance. We take for granted the fact that it is precisely the ability to speak and express ourselves that has distinguished us from the other creatures in this world. This post reminded me of why the beauty of language has captivated poets and authors for centuries. A single word can mean so many things and can signify different things for different people. But despite language being a universal thing, it also shows how each of us are unique individually. This complex capacity for language is part of what makes human beings a constant mystery.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Sun (A)
I like how your post highlights the power of language. You've helped me understand that it is through language that we communicate and relate with others. Language is how we also relate to the world, the world with others. I remember today in class someone ask sir Garcia what would happen if there was no language. He said, "we'd all be *Sir Garcia starts grunting and pounds his chest*," This was a funny site of course, but it actually made a very good point. Without language, it would almost be impossible to relate with others. "Actions speak louder than words." This may be true, but without words how could we comprehend actions. I'm sure when we all reflect on our own we speak to ourselves inside our heads. It would be extremely difficult to reflect through actions. Could you imagine?
ReplyDeleteFern Tensuan (C)
I've always thought that actions give meaning to words, and words give context to action. They have this dynamic between them. I'll use an example that I think everyone would understand... a man giving flowers to a woman, taking her to dinner, bringing her home from work, talking to her everyday. Yet the woman is unsure. "What does he really want from me?" The man doesn't say anything yet, but he did eventually. His affirmation of "I love you and I want to be in a relationship with you." gave context to his actions. Finally, the woman knows, and his giving of flowers and other things give meaning to the words "I love you" because they are concrete expressions of his love.
ReplyDeleteAlec Abarro (A)
Words hold a lot of meaning. They are used to convey thoughts and ideologies and so without words, it becomes very hard to communicate and convey the meaning of what we want to say to others. For example there is this novel called 1984 by George Orwell, wherein the government controls what the public thinks by limiting the words they know. In doing this they're unable to convey concepts because even though the thought is there, it becomes hard to express and capture. It really makes you think and wonder at how speech was even conceived and how the people back then communicated.
ReplyDeleteI think words are beautiful. I read this blog called the "Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows", and the author created words to express human feelings and emotions. Although the words are completely made up, they convey so much meaning. But if we think about it, aren't all words made up? As the author of Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Says, the act of naming implies that we're not alone. We give things names so we can convey them. This means that we want others to know of them, to share our experiences with them. It goes back into us as being-in-the-world-with-others, living in harmony with other people, and learning and growing with them.
Miguel Co (A)
If you think about it, there is a total of more than 5000 languages/dialects in the world today. There are thousands or even hundreds of thousands of words in a single language alone. On top of that, each word can have more than one meaning; each meaning can mean differently to separate people depending on the context of the situation or that person's experience.
ReplyDeleteThe power of words and their infinite meanings are both breathtaking and overwhelming.
Rexelle Piad (A)
Indeed words consist of numerous meanings: from shallow to profound ones. Our usage of words enable us to communicate and at the same time express what we truly feel and this, I believe, is essential for the human person to affirm his/her existence in this world. Through time, more meanings would definitely be added to words and this shows that man continuously finds ways to express their lived experiences especially when we consider the different contexts that they belong to.
ReplyDeleteJohann Pe (A)
I was actually really fascinated with Dr. Garcia's lecture on this as I do believe in the power and importance of words as it is through this that we are able to communicate and make sense of each other. I cannot even imagine living in a world were we cannot speak, where we cannot communicate what we want to say. Can you imagine how difficult that would be? To be stuck in a world where no one understands each other? Can you imagine how much misconceptions and misunderstandings would arise just from the ineffective relying of meanings and messages? It would truly be a hard place to live in. Words can truly form an arbitrary amount of meanings as each person experiences a different set of meanings. It is in the beauty of words in which multiple worlds come to exist. As each individual is able to communicate something, we are actually brought into their own world of meaning.
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot (A)
Words help us create our own individuality. If Philosophy says that all of us are the same beings but we exist differently, same goes for language. We may speak a common language, but all of us use it differently. I believe that words are powerful - it can create or break relationships, touch a heart, or save a life. It can influence one person or a million.
ReplyDeleteCharlene Syliangco (A)
Looking back at this reflection, I think I can related this to mimesis in such away that simple words truly open two way in our life. With out experiences, we are able to have our own meaning for our words. Fuze, said that "Everything that we can see, feel, touch, taste and smell in this world of ours has meaning." Yes, they do and although our experiences and life itself is limited by words, only through words and language are we able to materialize and share the beauty of life.
ReplyDeleteKyla Relucio (A)
I think it is in philosophy that one may see the beauty of language- how it can serve as an expression of one's being, experience and thoughts and how it can bring out the creativity in people who give different meanings to words based on their individual, unique experience. Language truly is a beautiful and powerful gift.
ReplyDeleteJevin Sarmiento (C)