Ludwig Wittgenstein talks about language in the context of games. The idea is that you should think of languages embedded in social interaction. So for I'm saying, can you pass me the cup? All I need to do is to indicate it's that thing I want. In charades, if I'm doing a transverse rex action because I want to convey Jurassic Park, you might say, well, is it transverse or is it some other data? It doesn't matter. It just has to be good enough to solve the problem in front of us.
Morten Christiansen is Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and Nick Chater is Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School. Together, they've written The Language Game, a new book which explores the science and psychology of language and some of its mysteries too. Hosting the discussion is journalist Christine Ro, whose work covers areas ranging from science and culture to international development.
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