Language

Question 1

Definition Theory

Answer 1

What a word means by its dictionary definition

• but, most words are complex and simple definitions don’t work
• plus, we can only explain the meaning of words by using other words

Question 2

Denotation Theory

Answer 2

A meaningful word stands for something but meanless words do not stand for anything

• this does not apply with abstract words
• this would also mean that you can not talk about people after they die

Question 3

Image Theory

Answer 3

The meaning of a word is the mental image that it stands for; you know the meaning when you have the concept in your mind
-but, we will never know if we all understand the same way (ie the color red)

Question 4

Vague/ vagueness

Answer 4

the vagueness of words is good for a general concept of the world, but specifics are dependent on the context

Question 5

Connoatation

Answer 5

the secondary meaning of a word. It is variable from people to people. the meaning given to words as they are interpreted by the outside world

Question 6

Denotation

Answer 6

Primary meaning of a word, but is not always its correct and applied usage

Question 7

Ambiguity

Answer 7

Words and phrases have multiple meanings and may mislead people

Question 8

Stereotype

Answer 8

labels that we make when we make assumptions about a group of people purely based on their membership of that group
-sometimes generalizations are true but not always

Question 9

Linguistic Determiniation

Answer 9

Meaning that language determines the way we think

ie the Supir-Worf hypothesis

Question 10

Supir-Worf hypothesis

Answer 10

language determines our experience of reality, and we can see and think only about what our language allows us to see and think