Fifty years ago in ETC.

Fifty years ago in ETC. From the title of Professor Bossard's book, [The Sociology ofChild Development,] one would not expect it to be particularly usefulfor students of general semantics gen��er��al semantics?n. (used with a sing. verb)A discipline developed by Alfred Korzybski that proposes to improve human behavioral responses through a more critical use of words and symbols. . However, general semanticists areused to picking up valuable clues and insights in unexpected places. Perhaps we can say general semantics is at a point in itsdevelopment where we can use it rather well to analyze what it is thatpeople do when they behave in ways that are neurotic neurotic/neu��rot��ic/ (ndbobr-rot��ik)1. pertaining to or characterized by a neurosis.2. a person affected with a neurosis.neu��rot��icadj. or unrealistic orsimply nonsensical. But trying to get people to change their ways andact more sensibly is quite another problem. How skillful skill��ful?adj.1. Possessing or exercising skill; expert. See Synonyms at proficient.2. Characterized by, exhibiting, or requiring skill. they are atresisting the truth about themselves! They are victims of their ownwarped attempts to translate reality into meaning, they are caught inthe mire mire(mer) [Fr.] one of the figures on the arm of an ophthalmometer whose images are reflected on the cornea; measurement of their variations determines the amount of corneal astigmatism. miren. of their own logic, and yet they will not even admit that theyare in error. Indeed, they often go to great lengths to make their errorseem a virtue! Such behavior is often perplexing per��plex?tr.v. per��plexed, per��plex��ing, per��plex��es1. To confuse or trouble with uncertainty or doubt. See Synonyms at puzzle.2. To make confusedly intricate; complicate. to the student of the science ofmeaning, who wants only to help people become the masters of language,instead of its slaves. It is difficult for him to understand why peopleinsist on being so blind, so stupid, and so foolish. The Freudians haveshed some light on this mystery by their theories of unconsciousprocesses and by their descriptions of complexes and attachments, saidto be unresolved Not completed; not finished; not linked together. See resolve. longings that went unsatisfied at earlier stages oflife. Some of these formulations are helpful in explaining the paradoxesof everyday life, but somehow we are not entirely convinced. Perhapsthis is because we ourselves are the unwitting victims of our ownneurotic past, or perhaps it is because we are too steeped in scientificskepticism to accept explanations that cannot be put to the test. Or, most likely, it is because Freudian theories are, at best, anincomplete explanation of behavior. And here is where Professor Bossardenters the scene, for he is a man who has spent many years observingchildren in a countless number of settings. There is much that he has to say that helps explain how thepatterns and problems of life develop. Whereas the clinical psychologistis principally concerned with studying the "internal" forcesthat go into molding and shaping personality and character, Bossard isconcerned with the "external" forces and conditions that arethe mirror images of the "internal" forces. At least, this ishow his book appears to the student of personality. The fact thatsimilar events and identical words can have such different meanings foreach of us is evidence that our perceptions differ according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. ourpersonalities. The pages of this book bring forth countless examples ofwhy it is that we develop such different perceptions, why the sameevents mean different things to us. Bossard describes one family where there is an active interest innew words. If there is some question about a word during dinner, adictionary is brought to the table, the word is looked up, and they alldiscuss it. Contrast this with a family situation where a boy happens touse the word "preference." His father rises up in wrath wrath?n.1. Forceful, often vindictive anger. See Synonyms at anger.2. a. Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger.b. Divine retribution for sin.adj. andshouts that as long as he is paying the bills, no son of his willhigh-hat him by using words like "preference." Does anyone wonder why children from these two families havedifficulty in communicating with each other? Not only will they havedifferent attitudes toward abstract words, but their attitudes andviewpoints toward a wide variety of things in everyday life will differwidely. Their ideas on "what is reality" will differ. It willbe difficult, for example, for them to come to any common agreement onmatters dealing with education or school, inasmuch as in��as��much as?conj.1. Because of the fact that; since.2. To the extent that; insofar as.inasmuch asconj1. since; because2. "education" and "school" will mean such differentthings to each of them. How can people communicate successfully when thevery words they use have different meanings for each of them? Thechances are that they will be able to communicate fairly effectivelywhere simple, concrete matters are concerned, but that they will havedifficulty in agreeing or cooperating where abstractions are involved. Bossard's book deals with other concepts of potential interestto the student of general semantics. He has a chapter on the bilingualchild, which shows a broad and perceptive per��cep��tiveadj.1. Of or relating to perception.2. Having the ability to perceive.3. Keenly discerning.per understanding of the complexproblems of meaning which face such a child. Another chapter deals withfamily modes of expression. Still another deals with family table talk.But the chief contribution of his book, from the standpoint of thesemanticist se��man��ti��cist?n.A specialist in semantics.Noun 1. semanticist - a specialist in the study of meaningsemioticianlinguist, linguistic scientist - a specialist in linguistics , is the way in which it fills out the background againstwhich all of us learn the language and the meanings that to a largeextent make us the different persons we are. HENRY CLAY LINDGREN, "REVIEW OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF CHILDDEVELOPMENT, BY JAMES H.S. BOSSARD" Correspondence: Sirs: I wish to express unreserved admiration and warmestappreciation for the special issue of ETC ETC - ExTendible Compiler. Fortran-like, macro extendible. "ETC - An Extendible Macro-Based Compiler", B.N. Dickman, Proc SJCC 38 (1971). on metalinguistics met��a��lin��guis��tics?n. (used with a sing. verb)The study of the interrelationship between language and other cultural behavior.metalinguistics(Spring1952). I am in full accord with the hope expressed by the editors ofpromoting closer relationships between general semantics and otherdisciplines. However, the emphasis on areas of agreement seems to me tocontribute to the neglect of certain valuable differences. Perhaps I canillustrate my point most clearly by referring to the article by ChangTung-Sun, "A Chinese Philosopher's Theory of Knowledge,"which appeared in the metalinguistics issue (pp. 203-226). The viewsexpressed in this article appear so similar in so many ways to those ofgeneral semantics that a difference should be sharply distinguished. For instance, the author of this article demonstrates that Chineselogic is not based on the law of identity but instead emphasizes"relational qualities." This interested me very much until Irealized that he was speaking only of interverbal relationships and wasin no way referring to the relationship of words to things and events. In a theory of knowledge a connective connective - An operator used in logic to combine two logical formulas. See first order logic. relationship between"knowings" and "knowns" cannot be disregarded, orrather should not be disregarded. Yet a careful study of theauthor's theory of knowledge shows that he gives no considerationto this relationship. He does indeed propose four levels of knowledge,namely, "the external world," "sensations,""constructions," and "interpretations" (p.225), andhe does assert a "correspondence" or interdependence in��ter��de��pen��dent?adj.Mutually dependent: "Today, the mission of one institution can be accomplished only by recognizing that it lives in an interdependent world with conflicts and overlapping interests"betweenthem. But he completely disregards the "how" or the"patterning" of this interdependence. Like Korzybski heemphasizes non-identity, but unlike Korzybski he does not develop anyform of correspondence alternative to that of identity. This lack of structural relationship between "knowledge"and the "external world" leads him to the conclusion thattheoretical knowledge is "detached" (p.225) and thatconsequently there can be no basis for judging the "correctness orincorrectness" of different theories, beliefs, and interpretations.He says that, "Social thought is not concerned with verification.It is unverifiable but realizable" (p.224). It seems to me thatthis form of philosophical irresponsibility has considerable currency.And I suggest that it results from a serious defect in present theoriesof knowledge. This defect can be described as a lack of an adequatemodern substitute for identity as a structural connective betweenlanguage and "things," between social theories and the world. Somehow the fact has been obscured that general semantics makes atremendously important basic contribution to linguistics linguistics,scientific study of language, covering the structure (morphology and syntax; see grammar), sounds (phonology), and meaning (semantics), as well as the history of the relations of languages to each other and the cultural place of language in human by introducinga fully developed modern structural connective. I refer, of course tothe connective relationship of "similarity of structure."While the recognition of this principle is not original, its detailedand explicit formulation in Science and Sanity Reasonable understanding; sound mind; possessing mental faculties that are capable of distinguishing right from wrong so as to bear legal responsibility for one's actions. SANITY, med. jur. The state of a person who has a sound understanding; the reverse of insanity. would, even at this latedate, have considerable impact on linguistics, if its presence were morewidely known. F.S.C. Northrop in his Logic of the Sciences and theHumanities uses the term "epistemic ep��i��ste��mic?adj.Of, relating to, or involving knowledge; cognitive.[From Greek epistm correlation" to designate des��ig��nate?tr.v. des��ig��nat��ed, des��ig��nat��ing, des��ig��nates1. To indicate or specify; point out.2. To give a name or title to; characterize.3. this connective relationship. Kohler in his Gestalt Psychology Gestalt psychologyTwentieth-century school of psychology that provided the foundation for the modern study of perception. The German term Gestalt, referring to how a thing has been “put together” (gestellt), is often translated as “pattern” or uses thephrase "analogy and homology homology(hōmŏl`əjē), in biology, the correspondence between structures of different species that is attributable to their evolutionary descent from a common ancestor. of morphological mor��phol��o��gy?n. pl. mor��phol��o��gies1. a. The branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function.b. structures."Examples of this basic notion abound in other fields. Yet current linguistic theories persistently disregard the problemof adequate connective structure in the "knowing" process. Forinstance, so far as I can discover on first reading, Dewey andBentley's Knowing and the Known makes no reference whatsoever tothe possibilities of structural correlation. Instead, entire dependenceis placed on "designation," "specification,""naming," "naming-knowing," and similarsemi-identity or "pointer" terms. Dewey in Chapter X makes animpassioned plea for recognition of the "transactional"interdependence of "knowings" and "knowns." Yet hedoes not seem to realize the inadequacy of "designation" toaccount for this interdependence beyond the most elementary signalingsituations. Concerning the importance of the "transactional"relationship between "knowings" and "knowns" appearsthis significant statement, "No attempt at all, so far as we areaware, has been made to concentrate upon it as a dependable base foroperations." (p.280) I believe that the writers were genuinelyunaware that a major portion of Korzybski's work was devoted toanalyzing this transactional relationship. For example, they refer toKorzybski as devoting "so much of his writing to the insistencethat the word is not the thing." Following this they say, "Hiscontinued insistence upon this point will remain a useful public serviceuntil, at length, the day comes when a thorough theory of theorganization of behavioral word and cosmic cos��mic? also cos��mi��caladj.1. Of or relating to the universe, especially as distinct from Earth.2. Infinitely or inconceivably extended; vast: fact has beenconstructed" (p.220; italics supplied). Apparently the diffuseness dif��fuse?v. dif��fused, dif��fus��ing, dif��fus��esv.tr.1. To pour out and cause to spread freely.2. To spread about or scatter; disseminate.3. of Science and Sanity has concealed thefact that it is mainly concerned with an attempt to formulate "athorough theory of the organization of behavioral word and cosmicfact." I feel it to be a shame and a scandal that this has not beenbrought out in such a way as to compel Compel - COMpute ParallEL at least direct consideration bystudents of linguistics. I therefore suggest that ETC regularly devote a small amount ofspace to rigorous technical discussions tending to establish generalsemantics in the minds of logicians, students of linguistic science,etc., as something more than a set of attitudes. I also suggest morespecifically that the connective problem mentioned above provides anexcellent point of departure. There is much more to this problem than issuggested by the picturesque picturesque,term used in 18th-century England to refer to a landscape that looked as if it had come out of an academic painting. Used as derogatory criticism of such painting, the picturesque was considered pretty rather than beautiful. phrase "mapping territories." Itis conceivable con��ceive?v. con��ceived, con��ceiv��ing, con��ceivesv.tr.1. To become pregnant with (offspring).2. that Professor Northrop could be persuaded to contributean article comparing his ideas on "epistemic correlation" withthose of Korzybski on "similarity of structure." Strategically, if the linguistic scholar can be made aware of thecrucial importance of the connective problem, he should be ripe fordoubting the adequacy of "designation." He may then becomesusceptible to a theory of structural correlation. The question"correlation between what" should be sufficient to directattention to levels of linguistic structure and problems ofmultiordinality. From this should follow a realization of theabstractive character of the connective relationship, or the inventionof a less confusing term than "abstraction" to describe theselective nature of epistemic correlations. Referring to the lastsentence of your Foreword fore��word?n.A preface or an introductory note, as for a book, especially by a person other than the author.forewordNounan introductory statement to a bookNoun 1. in the Spring [1952] Issue of ETC, I would saythat ETC can best contribute to the enrichment enrichmentFood industry The addition of vitamins or minerals to a food–eg, wheat, which may have been lost during processing. See White flour; Cf Whole grains. of other disciplines bybringing to the attention of serious students evidence that generalsemantics has something basic and substantial to offer. EDMUND N. TODD MIAMI, FLORIDA “Miami” redirects here. For the Native American tribe, see Miami tribe.Miami is a major city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Miami-Dade County. Miami is a gamma world city with an estimated population of 404,048. The following seem to be the more significant principles ...[which] will suggest a framework, however preliminary, for the teachingof skills and for a greater understanding of language: 1. Language is behavior and must be taught on behavioralprinciples. To this degree the study of language is a social science. 2. As behavior, language must be considered within the wholecontext of situation, including linguistic context Noun 1. linguistic context - discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretationcontext, context of usediscourse - extended verbal expression in speech or writing , which accompaniesthe behavior. There is no such thing as writing, only writing forparticular audiences, in particular situations, for particular ends. Themeasure is effectiveness in terms of purpose. 3. Language is first of all a functioning tool of interaction andrarely a means of reflective thought; as such it has no meaning apartfrom behavior; meaning is context. 4. As behavior it must adapt to the situation, the user, theaudience, the subject matter, and the end for which it is used. 5. As behavior it must be studied in terms of group norms, theexpectations of the group as to usage, content, and purpose. Theseexpectations of the group must be discovered by observation; they cannotbe prescribed pre��scribe?v. pre��scribed, pre��scrib��ing, pre��scribesv.tr.1. To set down as a rule or guide; enjoin. See Synonyms at dictate.2. To order the use of (a medicine or other treatment). by arbitrary decisions about correctness. 6. The rules of grammar and the classifications of language cannotbe drawn from classical or other sources outside the culture. Therefore,language cannot be taught prescriptively pre��scrip��tive?adj.1. Sanctioned or authorized by long-standing custom or usage.2. Making or giving injunctions, directions, laws, or rules.3. Law Acquired by or based on uninterrupted possession. , since the prescription mayfail to keep up with the actual practice in a culture. The student mustbe taught to observe usage and to fit his communication to accepted goodusage. 7. The individual must learn to observe language behavior,including his own, so that he will be conscious of differences demandedby different situations. He must be made aware of a variety of goodmodels to guide him in different situations. 8. The unit of writing or speech is not the part--the word,sentence or paragraph--but is the total perception to be transmitted.Thus the approach to the learning of skills is through the perception ofthe whole, subject and purpose, audience and occasion; grammatical gram��mat��i��cal?adj.1. Of or relating to grammar.2. Conforming to the rules of grammar: a grammatical sentence. andstructural units should be considered only as they aid or hinder hin��der?1?v. hin��dered, hin��der��ing, hin��dersv.tr.1. To be or get in the way of.2. To obstruct or delay the progress of.v.intr. thetotal expression. 9. The end of language is not language but the communication ofcontent, leading to better perception by the reader or audience.Writing, for example, will be first concerned with what is said; how itis said will develop from this. 10. The emphasis must be on clarity, accuracy, and interest, for aparticular audience. Grammatical correctness is merely one means tothese ends. 11. Language as behavior has a social responsibility, includingproper recognition of bias, accurate use of data, and a positiveacceptance of the opinions of others and the relativity of knowledge. In summary, I can do no better than to quote Frederic Reeve REEVE. The name of an ancient English officer of justice, inferior in rank to an alderman. 2. He was a ministerial officer, appointed to execute process, keep the king's peace, and put the laws in execution. : Good communication is that which is meaningful, effective, socially acceptable, and socially responsible. Communication is meaningful when it results from an awareness, conscious or unconscious, of the signs of structural meaning (grammatical form and structure); it is meaningful when it is clear, accurate, unambiguous in word choice and arrangement, and when it is organized in terms of purpose and intention. Communication is effective when it is simple, forthright and specific, and when it is appropriate to the user, the subject and the situation in intention, tone, level of usage and organization. Communication is socially acceptable when it is free from readily Determinable illiteracies, and when it is characterized by observation of current linguistic conventions which are validated by the practice of educated writers and speakers. Communication is socially responsible when it is grounded in observable fact, in honestly contrived opinion, in an awareness of personal and social bias, and when it contributes to understanding and harmony among the greatest number in a democratic society. Like any definition, this one has relevance only as it works. Itsframe of reference, also, is relative and must be changing. It isneither right nor wrong; it may be useful. HERBERT HACKETT, "LANGUAGE AS COMMUNICATION: A FRAME OFREFERENCE" EDITOR: NORA MILLER