every word is shaped by the mouth that speaks it. physically, of course - the tongue rolling sounds and pushing them through open lips - but more than that: each person attaches their own little significances to every word.
speech, a code to decipher, and it is much harder than we are led to believe. so many layers: a past event that frames the way a person conceptualises a word; an imagined future hanging from the letters of a particular phrase (integral to one person, invisible - or nonexistent - to another). how do we ever understand each other? or is the idea of shared language little more than false comfort?
we say the same words all the time, we overlap and seem to agree. but a word is almost meaningless when its consequences - and words should always have consequences - are not similarly perceived by the people using it.
So what should we do? define as we go along? each have a personal dictionary to prevent speaking at cross purposes? to prevent misunderstanding and disappointment?
Or just speak, and hope?
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i agree with you so much, especially the part about the differing ways we conceptualize words. i think the only thing we can do is be aware that we will never completely understand each other 100% and do what we can to share our meanings and make them overlap as much as possible!
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