wabmester
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2003
- Messages
- 4,459
Warning: I just got back from a walk, and my mind wanders during walks.
So, words let us share common concepts, but it seems like there are many more shared concepts than there are words to describe them.
A couple of examples:
1) What is a word that says "good effort, but WRONG!" Like using the cliche "feed a fever, starve a cold" when it's "starve a fever, feed a cold" (and both are meaningless, anyway). Or getting the lyrics to a song wrong, but finding lyrics that make sense to you. Or amputating the wrong limb.... These things obviously have a different sense of "wrong" than simply not knowing or guessing incorrectly.
2) What is a word that describes "I know that I'm in your way, and I sense your impatience, but just let me complete this manuever."
Are there words for these things? Should we make some up? How about other concepts that need words?
So, words let us share common concepts, but it seems like there are many more shared concepts than there are words to describe them.
A couple of examples:
1) What is a word that says "good effort, but WRONG!" Like using the cliche "feed a fever, starve a cold" when it's "starve a fever, feed a cold" (and both are meaningless, anyway). Or getting the lyrics to a song wrong, but finding lyrics that make sense to you. Or amputating the wrong limb.... These things obviously have a different sense of "wrong" than simply not knowing or guessing incorrectly.
2) What is a word that describes "I know that I'm in your way, and I sense your impatience, but just let me complete this manuever."
Are there words for these things? Should we make some up? How about other concepts that need words?