>Ostensive definition. You ask "what does the word "car" mean?" I
answer by
>pointing to a car. There are some words that cannot be defined by
>reference to other words. Some theorists argue that all definitions
must
>stop at bedrock I.e. ostensive defn. As John Locke said "For if the
terms
>of one definition, were still to be defined by another. Where at last
do
>we stop?" Essay Concerning Human Understanding III, ii,10.
where do we stop, indeed? okay, sam, I'll give you the pointing thing if only to move it along... but it only works so far. concepts - which is what this thread was discussing originally - aren't just words, right? how do you define concepts by pointing? and, the moment we might begin to talk about cars beyond a car to the car, then the word car becomes a concept no longer easily amenable to pointing.
moving along: how would you see the difference between ideological speech and non-ideological speech?
angela