(Remark: This difference does not lie, however, in the
act of pointing and pronouncing the word or in any mental act
(meaning)﹖ accompanying it, but in the r
ole which the
demonstration (pointing & pronouncing) plays in the
whole training and in the use which is made of it in the practice of
communication by means of this language.
One might think that the difference could be described by saying that
in the different cases we point to different kinds of objects.
But suppose I point with
6.
my hand to a blue jersey.
How does pointing to its colour differ from pointing to its
shape? ‒ ‒
We are inclined to say the difference is that we
mean
something different in the two cases.
And “meaning” here is to be some sort of process
taking place while we point.
What particularly tempts us to this view is that a man on being asked
whether he pointed to the colour or the shape is, at least in most cases,
able to answer this & to be certain that his answer is
correct.
If on the other hand, we look for two such characteristic mental acts
as meaning the colour and meaning the shape, etc., we
aren't able to find any, or at least none which must always
accompany pointing to colour, pointing to shape,
respectively.
We have only a
rough idea of what it means to concentrate
one's attention on the colour as opposed to the shape, or
vice versa.
The difference one might say does not lie in the act of
demonstration, but rather in the surrounding of
the || that
act in the use of the
language.)
4). On being ordered
“This slab!”, B brings the plate to
which A points.
On being ordered, “Plate, there!”, he
carries a plate to the place indicated.
Is the word “there” taught
demonstrativel
y?
Yes & no!
When a person is trained in the use of the word
“there”, the teacher will in training him make the
pointing gesture and pronounce the word “there”.
But should we say that thereby he gives a place the name
“there”?
Remember that the pointing gesture in this case is part of the
practice of communication itself.