Thursday, April 26, 2012

Context: The Little Blue Pill for Meaning

The word "context" is used somewhat interchangeably with situation, setting, stage, environment, climate, atmosphere, and a few others to help us outline a boundary and call attention to the content encapsulated therein.
A quick look at the etymology of "context" shows us that CON means "together" and TEXT means "woven," So, when we "contextualize" something, when we somehow contribute to or benefit from the "context" of something, we partner with weavers, not by literally interlacing warp yarn and weft yarn, but by figuratively intertwining two or more elements of significance into a relatively coherent and compelling artifact of meaning.

WARNING: Used in moderation, "context" can, indeed, have a performance-enhancing effect upon meaning, invigorating and animating it; however, if used in excess, the effects of "context" may be irreversible and life threatening.




No comments:

Post a Comment