35. “Understanding” is not the
name of a single process but of more or less interrelated process against a
background of the actual use of a learnt language. – We think that if I use the word
understanding in all these cases there must be some one thing that happens in
all of them. Well, the concept word certainly does show a kinship but this need
not be the sharing of a common property or constituent. The concept-word
“game”, “By knowledge” we mean these process, and the like, and similar ones”.
‘the some one thing that happens
in all of them’ – ‘the common property or constituent’ –
is the word – ‘understanding’ –
if you like the bare bones – the syntax
‘I say understand …’ – and you
nod in agreement – by which I take it that you understand me –
and we move on
if I was to then have a
reflective moment – and ask myself – well what is this understanding that I
claim to have – and what is the understanding you indicated?
what happens next?
well I try and describe – these
understandings –
I put forward proposals that I
think might put some flesh on the bone –
I might consider a common
property – or perhaps various processes that I think make for understanding
whatever –
we are really just dealing with
word descriptions here –
now these descriptions and their
terms – are subject to the same questions we asked in relation to the word that
we have now applied the descriptions to
perhaps we have increased the
sense of the word by applying one or more descriptions to it –
but we have not thereby diminished
its uncertainty –
we have in fact generated more
uncertainty
in practise our language use is
uncertain –
we operate in uncertainty –
we deal in uncertainty –
we create in uncertainty
© greg t charlton. 2014.
