ABSTRACT
Everyone is familiar with contexts in language. We understand that there is hyperbole in introductions but not in mid-career reviews. Yet just how context affects language is not treated in core theories of language. Models for the human capacity for language have focused on the function of description, report, analysis, as if talking about the world — physical description or abstract description — were the main use of language. Language is seen as a map of reality, either the reality outside, an abstract reality, or an imaginary reality. In this view, context gets into language mainly by reference. We talk about the context.
