ABSTRACT

This paradigm is firmly rooted in Western philosophical thought. The emphasis on symbols and the universal acceptance of philosophy has been the dominant paradigm in Western intellectual life ever since. The study of philosophy has been intermingled with the study of language ever since its inception. We use language according to certain well-established principles, and even though a strong case can be made that this usage is ‘hard-wired’, or determined by the physiological nature of the human brain (Pinker, 1994, 1997), the principles seem to be ‘inherently’ true – so much so that philosophers were led to contend that they indicate ‘reality’. More recently, ‘social’ reality has been invoked as the aim of research in social interactions, especially communication. Language is primary in ‘constructing’ this reality. The nature of language is so intermingled with the ‘proofs’ of the reality hypotheses that it is impossible to approach them separately.