Thanks for your comments. I thought it might be useful to look at the
root of your concern, relationships. Exactly what are they? Might a
careful review of their nature/anatomy/etc. shed some light on the value
of the notion that "Without language,we have no relationships"?
To that end, I consulted the WordNet Lexical Database, a searchable
index, developed by the Cognitive Science Laboratory at Princeton
University. In particular, the term: ``relationship''
Here is what I got, exactly as I got it. Please look it over with me
and see if anything new comes to light for you, regarding your point.
--------------------------------------------
Hyponyms of noun relationship
4 senses of relationship
Sense 1
relationship -- (often used where ``relation" would serve; preferred
usage of "relationship" is for personal relations
or states of relatedness; "the relationship between unemployment and
inflation'' )
personal relation, personal relationship -- (a relation between
persons)
Sense 2
relationship -- (a state of connectedness between people (especially an
emotional connection); ``he didn't want his wife to
know of the relationship'' )
anaclisis -- ((psychoanal) relationship marked by strong dependence
on others; esp a libidinal attachment to e.g. a
parental figure)
love affair, romance -- (a relationship between two lovers)
sexual relationship -- (a relationship involving sexual intimacy)
Sense 3
relationship -- (a state involving mutual dealings between people or
parties or countries)
account, business relationship -- (a formal relationship
established to provide for regular banking or brokerage or
business services)
acquaintance, acquaintanceship -- (a relationship less intimate
than friendship)
affiliation, association, tie, tie-up -- (a social or business
relationship: ``a valuable financial affiliation"; "close ties
with England'' )
assimilation -- (the state of being assimilated)
friendship, friendly relationship
membership -- (the state of being a member)
subjugation, subjection -- (forced submission to control by others)
Sense 4
kinship, family relationship, relationship -- (state of relatedness or
connection by blood or marriage or adoption)
affinity, phylogenetic relation -- ((biol) state of relationship
between organisms or groups of organisms resulting in
resemblance in structure or structural parts: ``in anatomical
structure prehistoric man shows close affinity with
modern humans'' )
descent
filiation
affinity, kinship by marriage -- (kinship by marriage or adoption;
not a blood relationship)
consanguinity, blood kinship, cognation -- (related by blood)
parentage, birth, lineage
fatherhood, paternity
motherhood, maternity
sisterhood, sistership
brotherhood
matrilineage, enation, cognation -- (line of descent traced through
the maternal side of the family)
patrilineage, agnation -- (line of descent traced through the
paternal side of the family)
Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Frequency) of noun relationship
4 senses of relationship
Sense 1
relationship -- (often used where ``relation" would serve; preferred
usage of "relationship" is for personal relations
or states of relatedness; "the relationship between unemployment and
inflation'' )
relation -- (an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two
entities or parts together)
Sense 2
relationship -- (a state of connectedness between people (especially an
emotional connection); ``he didn't want his wife to
know of the relationship'' )
state -- (the way something is with respect to its main attributes;
``the current state of knowledge"; "his state of
health"; "in a weak financial state'' )
Sense 3
relationship -- (a state involving mutual dealings between people or
parties or countries)
state -- (the way something is with respect to its main attributes;
``the current state of knowledge"; "his state of
health"; "in a weak financial state'' )
Sense 4
kinship, family relationship, relationship -- (state of relatedness or
connection by blood or marriage or adoption)
relation -- (an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two
entities or parts together)
Coordinate Terms of noun relationship
4 senses of relationship
Sense 1
relationship -- (often used where ``relation" would serve; preferred
usage of "relationship" is for personal relations
or states of relatedness; "the relationship between unemployment and
inflation'' ) -> relation -- (an abstraction
belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together)
social relation -- (a relation between living organisms; esp
between people)
causality -- (the relation between causes and effects)
relationship -- (often used where ``relation" would serve;
preferred usage of "relationship" is for personal
relations or states of relatedness; "the relationship between
unemployment and inflation'' )
logical relation -- (a relation between logical propositions)
mathematical relation -- (a relation between mathematical
expressions (such as equality or inequality))
foundation -- (the basis on which something is grounded; ``there is
little foundation for his objections'' )
connection, connexion, connectedness -- (a relation between things
or events (as in the case of one causing the other or
sharing features with it); ``there was a connection between eating
that pickle and having that nightmare'' )
unconnectedness
linguistic relation
part, portion -- (something determined in relation to something
that includes it; ``he kept all the parts because he had
no idea which part was effective'' )
affinity, kinship -- (a close connection marked by community of
interests or similarity in nature or character: ``found a
natural affinity with the immigrants"; "felt a deep kinship with
the other students"; "anthropology's kinship
with the humanities'' )
kinship, family relationship, relationship -- (state of relatedness
or connection by blood or marriage or adoption)
magnitude relation
control -- (a relation of regulation or constraint of one entity
(thing or person or group) by another; ``measures for the
control of disease"; "they instituted controls over drinking on
campus'' )
spatial relation
business relation
reciprocality, reciprocity -- (a relation of mutual dependence or
action or influence)
interrelation, interrelationship, interrelatedness -- (mutual or
reciprocal relation or relatedness: ``interrelationships of
animal structure and function'' )
temporal relation
comparison -- (relation based on similarities and differences)
opposition, oppositeness
change -- (a relational difference between states; esp between
states before and after some event: ``he attributed the
change to their marriage'' )
Sense 2
relationship -- (a state of connectedness between people (especially an
emotional connection); ``he didn't want his wife to
know of the relationship'' ) -> state -- (the way something is with
respect to its main attributes; ``the current state of
knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state'' )
skillfulness -- (the state of being skillful)
cognitive state, state of mind -- (the state of a person's
cognitive processes)
medium -- (a state that is intermediate between extremes; a middle
position; ``a happy medium'' )
condition -- (a mode of being or form of existence of a person or
things: ``the human condition'' )
condition, status -- (a condition or state at a particular time:
``a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current
status of the arms negotiations'' )
situation, state of affairs -- (the general state of things; the
combination of circumstances at a given time; ``the present
international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state
of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths
will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for
every new social situation'' - Franklin
D.Roosevelt)
relationship -- (a state of connectedness between people
(especially an emotional connection); ``he didn't want his
wife to know of the relationship'' )
relationship -- (a state involving mutual dealings between people
or parties or countries)
utopia -- (ideally perfect state esp in its social and political
and moral aspects)
dystopia -- (state in which the condition of life is extremely bad
as from deprivation or oppression or terror)
nature, wild, natural state, state of nature -- (a wild primitive
state untounched by civilization; ``he lived in the wild";
"they tried to preserve nature as they found it'' )
isomerism -- (the state of being an isomer; the complex of chemical
and physical phenomena characteristic of isomers)
degree, level, stage, point -- (a specific identifiable position in
a continuum or series or esp in a process; ``a
remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social
sciences?'' )
office, power -- ((of a government or government official) holding
an office means being in power; ``being in office
already gives a candidate a great advantage"; "during his first
year in power'' )
status, position -- (the relative position or standing of things or
esp persons in a society: ``he had the status of a
minor"; "the novel attained the status of a classic"; "atheists do
not enjoy a favorable position in American
life'' )
being, beingness, existence -- (the state or fact of existing: ``a
point of view gradually coming into being"; "laws in
existence for centuries'' )
nonbeing
employment -- (the state of being employed or having a job)
unemployment -- (the state of being unemployed or not having a job:
``unemployment is a serious social evil"; "the
rate of unemployment is an indicator of the health of an economy''
)
order -- (established customary state esp. of society; ``order
ruled in the streets"; "law and order'' )
disorder -- (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)
hostility, enmity, antagonism -- (a state of deep-seated ill-will)
illumination -- (the degree of visibility of your environment)
emotional state, spirit -- (the state of a person's emotions
(especially with regard to pleasure or dejection); ``his
emotional state depended on her opinion"; "he was in good spirits";
"his spirit rose'' )
freedom -- (the condition of being free; the power to act or speak
or think without externally imposed restraints)
representation, delegacy, agency -- (the state of serving as an
official and authorized delegate or agent)
dependence, dependance, dependency -- (lack of independence or
self-sufficiency)
motion -- (a state of change; ``they were in a state of steady
motion'' )
motionlessness, stillness
dead letter, non-issue -- (the state of something that has outlived
its relevance)
action, activity, activeness -- (the state of being active; ``his
sphere of action"; "volcanic activity'' )
inaction, inactivity, inactiveness -- (the state of being inactive)
temporary state
imminence, imminency, impendence, impendency, forthcomingness --
(the state of being imminent and liable to happen
soon)
readiness, preparedness -- (the state of being ready or prepared
for use or action esp military action: ``putting them in
readiness'' )
union -- (the state of being united)
maturity, matureness -- (state of being mature; full development)
immaturity, immatureness -- (not having reached maturity)
grace, state of grace -- (a state of sanctification by God)
omniscience -- (the state of being omniscient; having infinite
knowledge)
omnipotence -- (the state of being omnipotent; having unlimited
power)
perfection, flawlessness, ne plus ultra
integrity, unity, wholeness -- (an unreduced or unbroken
completeness or totality)
imperfection, imperfectness -- (the state or an instance of being
imperfect)
receivership -- (the state of property that is in the hands of a
receiver; ``the business is in receivership'' )
state of matter -- (gases and liquids and solids are the three
traditional states of matter)
end, destruction, death -- (a final state; ``he came to a bad end";
"the so-called glorious experiment came to an
inglorious end'' )
Sense 3
relationship -- (a state involving mutual dealings between people or
parties or countries) -> state -- (the way something is
with respect to its main attributes; ``the current state of knowledge";
"his state of health"; "in a weak financial state'' )
skillfulness -- (the state of being skillful)
cognitive state, state of mind -- (the state of a person's
cognitive processes)
medium -- (a state that is intermediate between extremes; a middle
position; ``a happy medium'' )
condition -- (a mode of being or form of existence of a person or
things: ``the human condition'' )
condition, status -- (a condition or state at a particular time:
``a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current
status of the arms negotiations'' )
situation, state of affairs -- (the general state of things; the
combination of circumstances at a given time; ``the present
international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state
of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths
will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for
every new social situation'' - Franklin
D.Roosevelt)
relationship -- (a state of connectedness between people
(especially an emotional connection); ``he didn't want his
wife to know of the relationship'' )
relationship -- (a state involving mutual dealings between people
or parties or countries)
utopia -- (ideally perfect state esp in its social and political
and moral aspects)
dystopia -- (state in which the condition of life is extremely bad
as from deprivation or oppression or terror)
nature, wild, natural state, state of nature -- (a wild primitive
state untounched by civilization; ``he lived in the wild";
"they tried to preserve nature as they found it'' )
isomerism -- (the state of being an isomer; the complex of chemical
and physical phenomena characteristic of isomers)
degree, level, stage, point -- (a specific identifiable position in
a continuum or series or esp in a process; ``a
remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social
sciences?'' )
office, power -- ((of a government or government official) holding
an office means being in power; ``being in office
already gives a candidate a great advantage"; "during his first
year in power'' )
status, position -- (the relative position or standing of things or
esp persons in a society: ``he had the status of a
minor"; "the novel attained the status of a classic"; "atheists do
not enjoy a favorable position in American
life'' )
being, beingness, existence -- (the state or fact of existing: ``a
point of view gradually coming into being"; "laws in
existence for centuries'' )
nonbeing
employment -- (the state of being employed or having a job)
unemployment -- (the state of being unemployed or not having a job:
``unemployment is a serious social evil"; "the
rate of unemployment is an indicator of the health of an economy''
)
order -- (established customary state esp. of society; ``order
ruled in the streets"; "law and order'' )
disorder -- (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)
hostility, enmity, antagonism -- (a state of deep-seated ill-will)
illumination -- (the degree of visibility of your environment)
emotional state, spirit -- (the state of a person's emotions
(especially with regard to pleasure or dejection); ``his
emotional state depended on her opinion"; "he was in good spirits";
"his spirit rose'' )
freedom -- (the condition of being free; the power to act or speak
or think without externally imposed restraints)
representation, delegacy, agency -- (the state of serving as an
official and authorized delegate or agent)
dependence, dependance, dependency -- (lack of independence or
self-sufficiency)
motion -- (a state of change; ``they were in a state of steady
motion'' )
motionlessness, stillness
dead letter, non-issue -- (the state of something that has outlived
its relevance)
action, activity, activeness -- (the state of being active; ``his
sphere of action"; "volcanic activity'' )
inaction, inactivity, inactiveness -- (the state of being inactive)
temporary state
imminence, imminency, impendence, impendency, forthcomingness --
(the state of being imminent and liable to happen
soon)
readiness, preparedness -- (the state of being ready or prepared
for use or action esp military action: ``putting them in
readiness'' )
union -- (the state of being united)
maturity, matureness -- (state of being mature; full development)
immaturity, immatureness -- (not having reached maturity)
grace, state of grace -- (a state of sanctification by God)
omniscience -- (the state of being omniscient; having infinite
knowledge)
omnipotence -- (the state of being omnipotent; having unlimited
power)
perfection, flawlessness, ne plus ultra
integrity, unity, wholeness -- (an unreduced or unbroken
completeness or totality)
imperfection, imperfectness -- (the state or an instance of being
imperfect)
receivership -- (the state of property that is in the hands of a
receiver; ``the business is in receivership'' )
state of matter -- (gases and liquids and solids are the three
traditional states of matter)
end, destruction, death -- (a final state; ``he came to a bad end";
"the so-called glorious experiment came to an
inglorious end'' )
Sense 4
kinship, family relationship, relationship -- (state of relatedness or
connection by blood or marriage or adoption) -> relation
-- (an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or
parts together)
social relation -- (a relation between living organisms; esp
between people)
causality -- (the relation between causes and effects)
relationship -- (often used where ``relation" would serve;
preferred usage of "relationship" is for personal
relations or states of relatedness; "the relationship between
unemployment and inflation'' )
logical relation -- (a relation between logical propositions)
mathematical relation -- (a relation between mathematical
expressions (such as equality or inequality))
foundation -- (the basis on which something is grounded; ``there is
little foundation for his objections'' )
connection, connexion, connectedness -- (a relation between things
or events (as in the case of one causing the other or
sharing features with it); ``there was a connection between eating
that pickle and having that nightmare'' )
unconnectedness
linguistic relation
part, portion -- (something determined in relation to something
that includes it; ``he kept all the parts because he had
no idea which part was effective'' )
affinity, kinship -- (a close connection marked by community of
interests or similarity in nature or character: ``found a
natural affinity with the immigrants"; "felt a deep kinship with
the other students"; "anthropology's kinship
with the humanities'' )
kinship, family relationship, relationship -- (state of relatedness
or connection by blood or marriage or adoption)
magnitude relation
control -- (a relation of regulation or constraint of one entity
(thing or person or group) by another; ``measures for the
control of disease"; "they instituted controls over drinking on
campus'' )
spatial relation
business relation
reciprocality, reciprocity -- (a relation of mutual dependence or
action or influence)
interrelation, interrelationship, interrelatedness -- (mutual or
reciprocal relation or relatedness: ``interrelationships of
animal structure and function'' )
temporal relation
comparison -- (relation based on similarities and differences)
opposition, oppositeness
change -- (a relational difference between states; esp between
states before and after some event: ``he attributed the
change to their marriage'' )
This
interface uses WordNet 1.5 for Unix. NDWC users: please see the manuals
for wnintro and xwn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mmascolo@merrimack.edu wrote:
>
> >>
> Hi Gary:
>
> Your comments about language as an activity rather than as a fixed
> structure are rich and thoughtful. I think that it is an appropriate
> point to make. I agree that we should avoid speaking of language as
> an abstract structure, and speak of speech, speaking, utterning, and
> the like. However, as rich as your comments are, I may have been
> addressing a different point. The poem suggested that without language,
> there are no relationships; it suggests the priority of language in
> psychological functioning. My point was simply that sign activity is but
> one vehicle of psychological functioning. I gave early attachment as
> an example of how there could be a relationshiup, but not signs or speech.
>
> Here is another example, a classic one, from Piaget. Piaget was watching
> his 15 month old girl as she played with a toy clown with long feet. The
> feet of the doll became caught in the low neck of her dress, and Jacqueline
> could'nt get them out. After her failed attempt, Jacqueline "put her hand
> in fron of her, bent her forefinger at a right angle to reprduce the shape
> of the clown's feet, described exactly the same trajectory as teh clown and
> thus succeedded in putting her finger in the neck of the dress..."
>
> In this example, the child is using the trajectory of her finger as a
> symbol to "stand for" the movement of the clown. This is not sign-
> activity. Piaget, in fact, sees such symbolic uses of action as a
> forerunner to signs. Again, my point is that we think and relate in many
> ways, sensori-motor actions, images, emotional expereicne, that are not
> necessarily instances of sign activity.
>
> Best,
> Mike Mascolo
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