Language-game (philosophy)

Under language Game (English language game) is generally understood to mean a verbal utterance that occurs within a particular use situation. The term was mainly established by Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) main work Philosophical Investigations popular and philosophical discourse.

Language game of Wittgenstein

Generally, we can understand every form of utterance within a practical context under Language play, so the myriad kinds of character, word and sentence usage. Wittgenstein emphasizes this with the notion that "the speaking of language is part [ ... ] of an activity, or a form of life [ is ] ." This can these utterances of small sounds like " ouch " or to complex linguistic systems rich "Help!": The philosophy, terminology and jargon, a joke, a literary text, or other forms of language can therefore be designated as language games.

In a broader sense also includes forms of expression such as those of mathematics or formal logic to the language games. These are distinguished from other everyday language games by a comparatively high degree of precision in the terms you are using.

Within its own work of Wittgenstein's language games are often certain thought experiments, in which a closely outlined use is represented by words, to study at simple examples for their use. These language games are different from the language of everyday life. However, Wittgenstein tries to explain to them certain aspects of language practice in general. The exact representation of language games used in Wittgenstein mostly the purpose attributed the emergence of philosophical problems on misunderstood language games.

The central idea of Wittgenstein's language game concept is that every utterance is based in a human practice. Only within these ( largely non-linguistic ) practice make many different language games sense. A word, a phrase or a sentence has a meaning that is not independent of what you are doing with this word, the word or the sentence and the situation in which you express it. In the Philosophical Investigations Wittgenstein brought this to the formula:

"I shall also call the whole thing. Language and the actions into which it is woven, call the " language game " "

In the Brown Book, a precursor of the Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein described the language games even as a " self-contained systems of understanding ." However, this formulation no longer appears in the Philosophical Investigations. Language games are basically open, can be at least theoretically extend or change any. It is also useful after Wittgenstein's view in the rarest of cases to require a "closed", that is clearly defined and delimited use of a term or to search. Many terms (many language games ) were precisely by practical that one can draw no precise limits for their use. As an example Wittgenstein explains this on the basis of the term " game":

"Consider, for example, once the operations that we call " games ". I mean board games, card games, ball games, fighting games, etc. What do all these have in common? - Do not say: " There must be something in common to them, otherwise they would not be called > Games '" - but look and see whether they all share something in common. - For if you look at them you will not indeed see something that would be common to all, but you'll similarities, relationships, seeing, and indeed a whole series. As I said, do not think, but look! - Look for example, the board games at, with their manifold relationships. Now go to Card Games on: here you find many correspondences with that first class, but many common traits disappear, others appear. If we now pass to the ball games, much that is common is retained, but much is lost. - Are they all > entertaining. " Compare chess with the Mühlfahren. Or is there anywhere a winning and losing, or competition between players? Think of the patience. In ball games there is winning and losing; but when a child throws the ball against the wall and catches again, this train is gone. Look, the role of skill and luck play. And how different is skill in chess and skill in tennis. Thinking now on the dance games: Here is the element of amusement, but how many of the other traits are gone! And so we can go through the many, many other groups of games. See similarities appear and disappear. And the result of this consideration is now: we see a complicated network of similarities which overlap each other and intersect. Similarities in great and small. "

These similarities through which the language games are related to each other, Wittgenstein calls family resemblances.

The term " game " in the word " language game " so stressed, first, that language games are embedded in a human practice: Linguistic expressions ( language games ) should therefore also only makes sense if they have a specific use and function within a form of life. On the other hand, the concept of the game points out that the many different language games is not anything necessarily is actually common to.

Some language games build on each other. ( For example when discussing the use of the term " language game " ) To participate as to a philosophical language game, already the mastery of many other language games must be provided. A man can not immediately begin to philosophize, but must acquire the language first, so - in Wittgenstein's words - " trained " to use many words and phrases ( PI § 27).

Each language game has certain rules here: every word, every sentence, has certain rules for its use. These rules for the proper use of language conventions and practices, divide people within a form of life. A language game is therefore possible in principle only in a social context. A man alone, according to Wittgenstein would not be able to establish a language game. This Wittgenstein tries to show in his famous private language argument.

Play with language in pre-school education

The term " language game " is also used in a broader sense of " play with language ." It 's about a creative and playful approach to structures and meanings, and even with the optical dimension of written language. One example is children anecdotes, rhymes and playful repetitions. Such games with the language are subject to among other things, preschools - for example in connection with language support, but also in conjunction with an educational view that attempts to empathize with the child's situation and its language competence.

While adults have more differentiated knowledge and skills to understand the complicated linguistic constructs and allow to produce, the use of language by children is more informal and creative in dealing with linguistic norms and vocabulary. The playful delight in language is a strong motive for language acquisition. Frequently adults discover it only an imperfection linguistic expression.

Play with language in the literature

As language games in a broader sense, one could also concrete poetry ( visual poetry ) indicate that mainly takes the optical and acoustic aspects of the language as an opportunity to play in deviation from the official norms of the language and to vary forms of representation unconventional. According to their theory provides " Concrete Poetry " no longer matters is - except itself extent, the play with language is the goal of this type of language manipulation.

742619
de