RE: [Air-l] we need a new word?

Ellis, On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:38:26 -0800, "Ellis Godard" <egodard@csun.edu> said:

We should each pick different words, probably from among the many already existing ones, depending on our interests and tasks. Words don't have essential meanings, and meanings aren't constant. Language is fluid, and contextual. Any of the suggestions thus far might suffice for particular purposes, but not others.

this may be a stupid question, but if we all use whatever different word we individually prefer to denote one and the same referent, how can we talk to each other about that referent without constantly talking past each other? Reuven Shlozberg Political Science University of Toronto