Item #57: Words: Communication, Art and Science.

I have always been fascinated by words: short pretty words, long meaningful words. At one point, I started writing down words that just all by themselves looked beautiful: clairvoyant, elixir, labyrinth, serendipity, love. I always chalked my attraction up to interest: I like Italian coffee, Tori Amos, red boots and words.

But wow, there is so much to words.

Words as Communication

Words are a primary means of communication of course. With words, we get through the basic requirements of our days. We can share a pleasantry, offering a “good morning” greeting to a neighbour, we can secure something we need, “excuse me, where are the washrooms?” and we can signal danger, “Call 9-1-1”.

We can take words up a level and use them to foster interpersonal emotional understanding. “You seem upset, what’s wrong?” “So it sounds like the teacher said you did something wrong but you don’t know what she meant, so now you are confused.” And words are exchanged until the emotional experience is shared and clearly understood.

Words are critical to learning. I know we say people learn by doing, but I would have a very difficult time explaining the theory of distributed cognition if I was unable to use words. I can’t show you distributed cognition. I can’t show you ‘austerity economics’, or ‘a progressive political platform’. Those are concepts that require words to explain.

Words as Art

And then words can be art: storytelling takes communication to a more creative, more imaginative place, where words are not only to convey productively, though they often do as well: just think of fables and fairy tales which teach important life lessons in beautiful packaging. Storytelling elevated to art form is to create an experience of enjoyment, to convey for pleasure.

But the word art forms I love most are poetry and lyrics, in particular, where words aren’t required to communicate with clarity, but instead to paint a visual picture in your mind, or elicit an emotional reaction.

She railed at the doctor:

"He cannot be mine.

He smells of the ocean, of seaweed and brine."

"You should count yourself lucky, for only last week,

I treated a girl with three ears and a beak.

That your son is half oyster

you cannot blame me.

... have you ever considered, by chance,

a small home by the sea?"

(Tim Burton)

“if I look

at the crystal moon, at the red branch

of the slow autumn at my window,

if I touch

near the fire

the impalpable ash

or the wrinkled body of the log,

everything carries me to you,”

(Pablo Neruda)

Words as Science

And finally, I have just been reminded that words are also an important scientific tool, things we can analyze and through which we can comprehend meaning. Precisely the same words we use as people living in different cities, different nations, and different continents all over the world can have entirely different meanings. And the words we use in one context can have one meaning, when used in another context, can mean something very different. And the study of these different uses, in these different spaces, in different contexts, is a scientific tool that teaches us about people, and about the cultures they live in.

A simple example:

In most family environments, saying “I think I’ll have a beer” might serve to signal a relaxing mood, a time of social gathering, a celebratory event.

In an alcoholic family environment, saying “I think I’ll have a beer” might signal danger.

Referencing God has radically different associations depending on where you are in the world. The meaning associated with the word ‘woman’ differs radically, signaling hierarchy, power or influence in some cultures and the opposite in others. We can observe these differences using words as a scientific tool to help us understand the significance behind these differences.

I love how important words are, how multi-faceted, how magical they can be. I’m not sure I recognized all that before capturing this here. Words indeed are Communications, are Art, are even Science. Maybe they are more too.

I was inspired however when I noticed an advertisement for an event happening next week, one which I suspect will be attended by fellow word-lovers. If this sounds like you, you might be interested too. Words By Design: An Evening With Bruce Mau is opening the International Festival of Authors, speaking in the Fleck Theatre at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto on October 19 at 8pm.