Brick-by-Brick: Rebuilding the Language-Games

Abstract

AbstractWittgenstein gave no real definition of the strategy of language, so that clear definitions of thelanguage-gameand the underlyingforms of lifeare explained in tentative hypotheses. The study of the language-game is an empirical idea of inquiry: Its possible definition can be extrapolated from the source of Wittgenstein’s own writings, tracing out the meaning from the examples. Here viewed from a semiotic standpoint, Wittgenstein is boosted as a semiotic philosopher of language, moving in the conceptual development from Saussure’s interpreted-signs to Peirce’s interpretant-signs. The history of Wittgenstein’s language-game and forms of life generate linguistic-and-cultural (linguïcultural) forms ofplay-acts. Wittgenstein liked “engineering” examples of practical language-games, such as the carpenter’s toolbox and the building blocks. The “bricks” of the reconstruction of Wittgenstein’s language-games are shown by the interjective keywords to announce the building blocks. This cognitive and creative game of language can be applied to solve and understand the “building” messages of Wittgenstein’s language-games.