World Of Words
Chapter 4: The World of Words
"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." —Ludwig Wittgenstein
When we think of communication, we often think about the language used to convey the message. Language and many of our nonverbal behaviors are symbolic. We need to keep in mind that across cultures, symbols do not always mean the same thing and can cause confusion or misunderstanding. The text offers the following example on page 95. "The arbitrary nature of language becomes obvious-sometimes humorously so-when we discover that our words don't mean the same thing in another culture. The manufacturer of Dr. Pepper learned this lesson when marketing the soft drink didn't work in the United Kingdom. There, "I'm a pepper" means "I'm
"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." —Ludwig Wittgenstein
When we think of communication, we often think about the language used to convey the message. Language and many of our nonverbal behaviors are symbolic. We need to keep in mind that across cultures, symbols do not always mean the same thing and can cause confusion or misunderstanding. The text offers the following example on page 95. "The arbitrary nature of language becomes obvious-sometimes humorously so-when we discover that our words don't mean the same thing in another culture. The manufacturer of Dr. Pepper learned this lesson when marketing the soft drink didn't work in the United Kingdom. There, "I'm a pepper" means "I'm