The first part of this word and referent relationship comes when we speak which is, in effect, using symbolism shaped by social and psychological factors in addition to the reference we are making(1274). The second part of this relationship is defined as such "When we hear what is said, the symbols both cause us to perform an act of reference and to assume an attitude which will, according to circumstances, be more or less similar to the act and the attitude of the speaker"(1274).
While Richards and Ogden's conceptualization of words as symbols seems to hold up, I wonder if it is short sighted. Does Locke pose any problems for Richard and Ogden? Their discussion of external factors which inform symbols is rather vague, and I think Locke's specificity in this area poses a problem for Richard and Ogden as they try to explain the relationship between words and the concepts that they signify.
1 comment:
I think that Richards and Ogden are expanding Locke's ideas. Locke says "Words, having naturally no signification, the idea which each stands for must learned and retained"(818). This idea seems to be one of the premises that Richards and Ogden are basing their argument on. Richards and Ogden say "Words as everyone knows "mean" nothing by themselves"(1275). This comes at the opening of the article, just before the triangle of confusion appears.
I believe that the "mean"/ing of words they are referring to is the same as the "significance" that Locke is denying is inherent in words. That is why we need the triangle to make sense of how meaning arises.
This is the tricky part. The triangle, to my understanding, seems to show the that meaning arises in the mind, subjectively, as an idea. Ogden and Richards describe this corner of the triangle as the "reference." The other corners represent the "symbol" and the "referent". The authors state that the relation between these two sides is "indirect". The only true associations they have are a product of their mutual relativity to the "Reference" corner. The Symbol is used to communicate, it is a tool designed to convey and record meaning that we, as humans, create. The "referent" is the third corner of the triangle. The author's do not say this explicitly, but I think of it as the part of the triangle that would represent what Locke would call an essence. The Referent is the only part of this triangle that can exist independent of the other two because it is composed of nature.
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.