Topic- "How Do We Find Meanings In Language (and Life)?"

The City Cross Food Court is quiet at 6:30 pm every second Friday evening when we meet there. This makes talking easy and relaxed. Each time there is a different topic with 10 talking points to help with ideas. Find us: look for a black yoga ball on the table. For more details see the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1678127882281980 . The organizer is Thor May, dGhvcm1heSB8IHlhaG9vICEgY29t . See you soon :)

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Topic 226 - How Do We Find Meanings In Language (and Life)? 17 October 2025

Talking Points:

1. I once secretly recorded a 30 minute conversation with a housemate during dinner. Later I found over 300 formal errors in his speech. He was a native English speaker. Over dinner I didn't notice any of his errors. Why?

2. Many things can interfere with hearing clearly. These include surrounding (ambient) noise, degraded signals (e.g. from a phone), or personal hearing loss. Mostly the listener still gets the meaning. How is this possible?

3. Some people never understand certain jokes. Others can pick up the meaning, even if it is not their first language. What is going on?

4. How can cultural expectations across cultures lead to misunderstanding a speaker's intentions? Think of several examples. What can you do about this?

5. Your mother is different from my mother. Therefore the meaning of 'mother' has a somewhat different meaning for everyone. This is true of all language. How do we improve the chances of being understood, and why do we fail often, even with friends?

6. Grammar rules are supposed to be the road traffic signals in language. They are supposed to guarantee that words arranged in the same way have the same meaning for everyone. These grammar rule systems partly work, but are not perfect. When does grammar fail to signal meaning?

7. A fluent reader can often quickly read some writing which contains many mistakes and still get the right meaning. How do they do this?

8. Some people (especially politicians) can give a speech which is formally incoherent, full of contradictions and even lies. For some listeners, none of this matters. These listeners get the meaning the speaker/politician intended. (Look at Trump's speeches to crowds as an example). How is this possible?

9. 'It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.' [Upton Sinclair, an English writer]. What is Upton Sinclair trying to say in this famous aphorism? Do you agree with him?

10. Life is full of people who will never really understand us in speech or action. What is the best way to cope with this reality?

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