Essays on Life 



ing which is nevertheless inseparable from any 

 right use of the words either " speech " or 

 " language." It presents us with what is in- 

 deed a very frequent adjunct of conversation, 

 but the use of written characters, or the finger- 

 speech of deaf mutes, is enough to show that 

 the word "language" omits all reference to the 

 most essential characteristics of the idea, which 

 in practice it nevertheless very sufficiently pre- 

 sents to us. I hope presently to make it clear 

 to you how and why it should do so. The 

 word is incomplete in the first place, because 

 it omits all reference to the ideas which words, 

 speech or language are intended to convey, 

 and there can be no true word without its 

 actually or potentially conveying an idea. 

 Secondly, it makes no allusion to the person 

 or persons to whom the ideas are to be con- 

 veyed. Language is not language unless it 

 not only expresses fairly definite and coherent 

 ideas, but unless it also conveys these ideas 

 to some other living intelligent being, either 

 man or brute, that can understand them. We 

 may speak to a dog or horse, but not to a 



stone. If we make pretence of doing so we 



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