The dilemma of whether to use or not to use language is such that even to express its 'murderous' nature, we use it. An interesting article on the meaningfulness of greeting cards inspite of them using cliches or outdated phrases...
Clichéd statements such as ‘I love you’ and ‘Sorry for your loss’ call attention to this double futility: language always fails but it is impossible to remain silent. Nowhere is this clearer than in the sympathy card phrase ‘There are no words’. Though the statement is true, in order to be given meaning it must be expressed and, in doing so, is falsified. This axis of articulation and absence, of speaking and silence, is the dilemma that language continually re-presents.[Source: Aeon]
It's so true no? Sometimes language is superfluous but in the absence of presence, what else do we have.
ReplyDelete