Triangle of reference
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The triangle of reference (also known as the triangle of meaning[1] and the semantic triangle) is a model of how linguistic symbols are related to the objects they represent. The triangle was published in The Meaning of Meaning (1923) by Ogden and Richards.[2] While often referred to as as the "Ogden/Richards triangle" the idea dates back until at least 1810, by Bernard Bolzano, in his Beiträge zu einer begründeteren Darstellung der Mathematik.
The triangle concerns the relationship between an expression and the subject of that expression. It draws a distinction between referent (a word or non-literal representation eg a hieroglyph) and symbol (a literal representation), and sets out and describes the relationships between these and the thought or object that is the subject of them.
Interlocutory applications
| This section possibly contains original research. (December 2012) |
Other triangles
The relations between the triangular corners may be phrased more precisely in causal terms as follows[citation needed][original research?]:
- The matter evokes the writer's thought.
- The writer refers the matter to the symbol.
- The symbol evokes the reader's thought.
- The reader refers the symbol back to the matter.
The communicative stand
Such a triangle represents ONE person, whereas communication takes place between TWO (objects, not necessarily persons). So imagine another triangle and consider that for the two to understand each other, the content that the "triangles" represent must fit or be aligned. Clearly, this calls for synchronisation and an interface as well as scale among other things. Notice also, that we perceive the world mostly through our eyes and in alternative phases of seeing and not seeing with change in the environment as the most inmportant information to look for. Our eyes are lenses and we see a surface (2D) in ONE direction (focusing) if we are stationary and the object is not moving either. This is why you may position yourself in one corner of the triangle and by replicating (mirroring) it, you will be able to see the whole picture, your cognitive epistemological and the ontological existential or physical model of life, the universe, existence, etc. combined.[citation needed][original research?]
Direction of fit
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John Searle used the notion of "direction of fit" to create a taxonomy of illocutionary acts. [3] [4]
| This table possibly contains original research. (December 2012) |
| World or Referent | intended → | Writer's Thought | |
|---|---|---|---|
| decoded ↑ | ↓ encoded | ||
| Thought Reader's | ← extended | Symbol or Word |
- Word-to-World Fit
- Writer's THOUGHT retrieves SYMBOL suited to REFERENT, Word suited to World.
- World-to-Word Fit
- Reader's THOUGHT retrieves REFERENT suited to SYMBOL, World suited to Word.
Actually the arrows indicate that there is something exchanged between the two parties and it is a feedback cycle. Especially, if you imagine that the world is represented in both persons' mind and used for reality check. If you look at the triangle above again, then remember that reality check is not what is indicated there between the sign and the referent and mareked as "true', because a term or a sign is allocated "arbitrarily'. What you check for is the observance of the law of identity which requires you and your partner to sort out that you are talking about the same thing. So the chunk of reality and the term are replacable/interchangeable within limits and your concepts in the mind as presented in some appropriate way are all related and mean the same thing. Usually the check does not stop there, your ideas must also be tested for feasibility and doability to make sure that they are "real" and not "phantasy". Reality check comes from consolidating your experience with other people's experience to avoid solipsism and/or by putting your ideas (projection) in practice (production) and see the reaction. Notice, however how vague the verbs used and how the concept of a fit itself is left unexplained in details.[editorializing]
See also
References
- ^ Colin Cherry (1957) On Human Communication
- ^ C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards (1923) The Meaning of Meaning
- ^ John Searle (1975) "A Taxonomy of Illocutionary Acts", in: Gunderson, K. (ed.), Language, Mind, and Knowledge (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press) pp. 344-369.
- ^ John Searle (1976) "A Classification of Illocutionary Acts", Language in Society, Vol.5, pp. 1-24.
External links
- Jessica Erickstad (1998) Richards' Meaning of Meaning Theory. University of Colorado at Boulder.
- Allie Cahill (1998) "Proper Meaning Superstition" (I. A. Richards). University of Colorado at Boulder.