This guy has never met my friends

[pecunium]

Language, however, puts information first and manipulation second. Suppose I were to explain to you Einstein's theory of relativity, or Chomsky's theory of a biologically based language organ. My purposes in giving you the information might well be that of impressing you, or even ultimately mating with you (although anyone who could be induced to mate by such means would have to be pretty weird).

Adam's Tongue Derek Bickerton p. 48

Comments

[sylphslider.livejournal.com]

Language values information and manipulation to an equal degree. You want to convey information, yes, but you also want to get people to act in ways that you want them to act - like "don't touch that" or "please pass the salt" or "vote for Pedro."

I'll happily cop to being "pretty weird." :)

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. Language (to reify it) is purely about information.

People are what value manipulation.

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

OTOH, language evolved among and was shaped by people, and therefore it doesn't make sense to reify it in a way that suggests it's any more or less than what people make of it.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Even without reifying it, language isn't a thing independent, it's a tool for conveying information. People manipulate language, sometimes to manipulate each other.

Without that intent, language, qua language, can't manipulate. All it is, when distilled, is units of information.