Natalie Limbrey 13D

“The language game raises very difficult if not impossible problems.” Discuss this statement by examining both verification and falsification.

        The language game is moving away from the idea that language is just there to describe or ‘picture’ things. Ludwig Wittgenstein came up with the notion that words and language are part of an ‘anti-realist’ or postmodern approach to language. He believed that language statements (including religious ones), are not intended to be true or false for everyone, but only for those who are within that form of life i.e. a scientific statement would be true or false for a scientist but not for an artist.

        The term 'language game' is used to refer to fictional examples of language use that are simpler than our own everyday language, simple uses of language with which children are first taught language (training in language), specific regions of our language with their own grammars and relations to other language-games and finally all of a natural language composed of a family of language-games.

These meanings are not separated from each other by sharp boundaries, but blend into one another. The concept is based on the following analogy: The rules of language (grammar) are analogous to the rules of games; meaning something in language is thus analogous to making a move in a game. The analogy between a language and a game brings out the fact that only in the various activities of human life do words have meaning. (The concept is not meant to suggest that there is anything trivial about language, or that language is just a game.)

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The concept was intended "to bring into prominence the fact that the speaking of language is part of an activity, or a form of life".

        All forms of life have their own language and have their own rules concerning meaning. The language in the game is non-cognitive, because it is not about making universally true statements, but about communicating meaning to other players in the same game. Due to each distinct life form having their own unique language, it means that it’s almost impossible for others to criticize who in turn have their own language game unless they learn the ...

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