Comment by margalabargala
Comment by margalabargala 3 days ago
> Sure it does. I can use words any way I want.
You can do that, but I hedged my statement with:
> and expect anyone else to understand you
under which constraint, you're incorrect.
There's a relevant quote from Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass:
> "When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
My or Humpty’s ability to choose meaning doesn’t ensure the listener will understand it the same way though. Even if you do expect someone to understand and feel appropriate context is present, misunderstandings occur regularly in all types of communications due to this very thing.