Things and What You Call Them: Are You Talking About Words or Animals?

Language is a mode of communication. Words are not what they refer to (for instance, people, cars, buildings, events). The difference between the two is obvious. We realize this when asked; we tend to mix the two anyway. The consequences of this mix may be dramatic including serious conflict or even war. Talking about the future gives us a good example of how words are detached from what they refer to. Brexit and a hypothetical Polexit are invoked as examples of the detachment in question. Words are discussed as symbols. Other symbols (pictures, traffic signs) are also considered. As in the case of words, people tend to confuse pictures with what they refer to. The common belief in the existence of one correct, inherent word meaning is mentioned. The arbitrariness and conventionality of language are briefly explained.