The Emergence of Meaning by Linguistic Problem Solving

Abstract

The opinion that the acquisition of sign meaning in natural language and its actual realisation in interactions is, to an appreciable degree, the result of a problem-solving process can be traced back to the very beginning of linguistic theory in ancient times. The final accepted meaning of a string of symbols is elaborated by the Ss in such a way as to minimize incommensurabilities among primary meaning conceptions in a multistep approximation according to grammatical and empirical guidelines, with a special consideration of the so called communication scaffold of author, addressee, subject, situation and interaction-type. Rhetorical figures which signalize and carry out variations of the relationship between signs and designed concepts are presented for illustration. The generation of meaning in natural language is to be seen as a special case of the general readiness and interest in problem-solving of humans.