ABSTRACT
Language patterns We speak language in patterns of words and phrases that twist and intertwine around one another, to create meaning: to describe how to get to the hospital, to suggest you don’t really like someone’s taste in music but you don’t want them to feel bad about it, to vent your anger, to soothe a child with a grazed knee. We are all incredibly adept at manipulating these patterns without having to bat an eyelid. We barely ever have to ‘think before we speak’, no matter how many times we’re told we ought to. Language even enters our dreams.
