Language and its Messedupness

(irony)

Purpose of Language
Identify Address problems Communicate

Problems of Language
Vagueness Ambiguity Secondary Meanings Metaphors Irony

Vagueness
When, you know, you dont really know, like, what things are about and, you, like, dont know what you are talking about?

Vagueness Continued
Not clearly expressed or stated in indefinite terms.
Fast, slow, big, small, nice, cold, warm, ok, and so on

Ambiguity
Saying something can have two meanings

Ambiguity Continued
Ambiguity: the state of being ambiguous. Ambiguous: capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways.
There are tuna, chorizo, ham and cheese sandwiches.

Secondary Meanings
When you are saying something but you are trying to say something else...*wink wink*

Secondary Meanings
Words have primary and secondary meanings. The primary meaning is called denotation and the second one is called connotation. Denotation: definition or what a word refers to or its accepted public meaning. Connotation: associations that surround a word and varies from person to person.

Euphemism
Secondary meanings are most evident when we use euphemisms
Sanitation engineer Collateral damage

Metaphor
A metaphor is the make-up on the face of meaning.

Metaphor
Substituting one idea for another to suggest analogy or comparison.
You are the sunshine of my life. It's gonna' be clear skies from now on. The opposition's speech was the opening salvo of an attack on foreign policy.

Irony
When you really mean what youre saying.

Irony
The use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.
"What a lovely day," said Sam, watching the rain. The anteater was eaten by a giant mutant ant.