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Single Idea 21931

[filed under theme 19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 9. Ambiguity ]

Full Idea

The intention to oppose polysemia with dissemination does not aim to affirm that everything we say is ambiguous, but that polysemia is irreducible in the sense that each and every 'meaning' is itself subject to more than one understanding.

Clarification

'polysemia' is having many meanings

Gist of Idea

'Dissemination' is opposed to polysemia, since that is irreducible, because of multiple understandings

Source

report of Jacques Derrida (works [1990]) by Simon Glendinning - Derrida: A Very Short Introduction 5

Book Ref

Glendinning,Simon: 'Derrida: a Very Short Intro' [OUP 2011], p.56


A Reaction

The key point, I think, is that ambiguity and polysemia are not failures of language (which is the way most logicians see it), but part of the essential and irreducible nature of language. Nietzsche started this line of thought.

Related Ideas

Idea 21929 Derrida focuses on ambiguity, but talks of 'dissemination', not traditional multiple meanings [Derrida]

Idea 7144 Logic must falsely assume that identical cases exist [Nietzsche]