The Challenge of Words

By Wayne Brown
I encourage you to listen to the CBC Ideas segment:  Challenge of Words  about how language works according to those who use it expertly.  The discussion touches on several issues of interest for this blog:
  • How we "think in words" and the language we think in makes a difference;
  • How we use both pictures and words to express ideas. Pictures can be vague but words demand precision, even though precision is elusive;
  • How words can be used to create a totally imaginary world;
  • The importance to a writer to find at least one person who "gets it" - the need to write;
  • Difficulty for the writer to meed the expectations of the reader for narrative and a story that "makes sense";
  • How language is ultimately limited in its ability to express what we want to share.

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