>Dewey,
>If listeners and readers construct their own meanings then they are
>making their own sense of the texts they hear and read.With neither
>phrase can you be sure they will not consturct a meaning different than
>yours as speaker or writer.
I agree that one cannot dictate the meaning others will construct from the
words we generate or be sure of the meaning they construct from our words.
On the other hand if one can make a good guess that people are likely to
construct a meaning one does not intend from a particular useage, then it
seems reasonable to avoid that particular useage where one intends that
alternative meaning. Another alternative is to calculate to say something
which is very hard to interpret from the imagined world-view of one's
listeners while at the same time this saying does fit an alternative world
view that one would like the listener(s) to consider. Having gotten the
listeners' attentions with something that seems to them to initially be
nonsense, one has also provided them with something to 'chew' on which can
make sense in a different world view. Some of the listeners may pursue the
issue and interact with you enough to construct a different view of things
in which your initial comments do 'make sense' in the assimilative/matching
sense. One walks a thin line between being written off as 'nonsense' and
being 'mis-understood' in order to enhance the chance that one can incite
enough interaction via one's words to make possible the construction of new
meanings and ideas in others.
>I've often argued with those who have misrepresented my work in their
>writing that the fact that they construct a meaning different than mine
>proves that each of us constructs our own meaning.
>Ken Goodman
I agree with this explanation. (Now everybody will be concluding that
Dykstra and Goodman are leaving out the 'social' when we agree that each of
us constructs our own meaning. Little do they realize the significance
that I expect both of us place on each person's experiences/interactions
with other people.)
For me it's just that nothing appears to _dictate_ a particular meaning
that someone will construct as a result of a particular experience. On the
other hand meaning is constructed to 'fit' experience, hence each person's
meaning 'fits' that person's experience in some way that is deemed suitable
by that person. The social/cultural/historical influences are part of a
person's experiences.
Speaking of social/cultural/historical influences, has anyone read James
Loewen's book, "Lies My Teacher Told Me"? Wow, an I thought my U. S.
History classes were actually history! ;^) ...and I thought we only
misled people in physics...
Dewey
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Dewey I. Dykstra, Jr. Phone: (208)385-3105
Professor of Physics Dept: (208)385-3775
Department of Physics/SN318 Fax: (208)385-4330
Boise State University dykstrad who-is-at varney.idbsu.edu
1910 University Drive Boise Highlanders
Boise, ID 83725-1570 novice piper
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