HKB
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Often appears with: language, naming, and meaning · intelligibility depends on shared ideas · conspiracy and assassination · augustus · arbitrariness of language
Usually: argument (1) · detachment (1)
“All things that exist being particulars, it may perhaps be thought reasonable that words, which ought to be conformed to things, should be so too,—I mean in their signification: but yet we find quite the contrary.” John Locke, An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume 2 · insight
Locke insists that word-signification is based on perfect arbitrary imposition, not natural connection, and even Augustus could not create a new Latin word that would determine the same idea in everyone.
OF GENERAL TERMS. 1. The greatest Part of Words are general terms. All things that exist being particulars, it may perhaps be thought reasonable that words, which ought to be conformed to things, should be so too,--I mean in their signification: but yet we find quite the contrary. The far greatest part of words that make all languages are general terms: which has not been the effect of neglect or chance, but of rea…