Sunday, January 20, 2008

Week 2 – Barker, Chapter 4

And we get to language.
Having grown up between two cultures and with two languages, I have always felt that there was tight link between language and culture. I can’t say things in one language the same way in another language. It’s another way of thinking, and another way of interacting with people. Just count the number of words in each language (I didn’t, but I read it’s different, somewhere).

And so words are associated with specific meanings, always changing and shifting through time and from one country to another. The most innocent word in the European French language can be pretty rude in Quebec. The same word can have different meanings, depending on the cultural context.
So my question is: do practices create meanings or do meanings create practices?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Yes, I can see how being split between two cultures would have a big impact on the way you see this.

I think Wittgenstein's point is that practices create meanings and meanings (language) creates practice. There is a reciprocal relationship.