Words. What are they, these little packets of meaning, these small bits of sound we use to label and share all that we encounter in life?
Yes, that’s a “chair”.
Yes, you are “Marta” and I am “Steven”.
Yes, “love” is a fine thing indeed to call what we’re feeling. That is what we’re feeling, right?
We send words out. We get words back.
We speak them, pushing air up from our lungs and molding that air with our lips and tongues and vocal chords. We receive them from others via tiny tunnels in our head that lead, quite strangely, to a whisper thin membrane and a fragile set of bones.
We write them down, using symbols to represent and preserve the thoughts in our head. Because we have such symbols, we can also access the thoughts of others who are far from us or who came long before us.
The words that we use evolve. They change, adapt, and collaborate. They connect to, feed off of, and even mate with one another.
Funny, but I really can’t find the words to describe how fascinating words are.
Perhaps its best to let them speak for themselves as they do in the stunning video below. It’s a flowing stream of word play created by Will Hoffman and Daniel Mercadante for WNYC’s Radiolab. Watch, let the words wash over you, and enjoy.
Words by Will Hoffman and Daniel Mercadante
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