Meaning arises from articulating linguistic systems rather than reflecting the world

Evidence

The true ground of the distinction is, in fact, linguistic; it is derived from syntax. There are proper names, adjectives, and relation-words; we may say ‘John is wise, James is foolish, John is taller than James.’ Here ‘John’ and ‘James’ are proper names, ‘wise’ and ‘foolish’ are adjectives, and ‘taller’ is a relation-word. Metaphysicians, ever since Aristotle, have interpreted these syntactical differences metaphysically: John and James are substances, wisdom and folly are universals. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 732 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Language enables meanings rather than passively carrying them; Language is socially constructed and speaks through individuals; Cultural meanings are unstable and shift with the social field (+22 more)

Related

• Metaphysical distinctions between substances and universals stem from grammatical syntax. (similarity 0.90)
• Meaning arises from relations of difference between terms (similarity 0.80)
• Winter insists that ‘the importance and ubiquity of imaginative processes such as metaphor undermine the Wittgensteinian claim that there is no more to meaning than its performative significance… (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Metaphysical distinctions between substances and universals stem from grammatical syntax. #expands (0.75) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 732
• Winter insists that ‘the importance and ubiquity of imaginative processes such as metaphor undermine the Wittgensteinian claim that there is no more to meaning than its performative significance… #responds-to (0.70)
• Yet, there is scarcely a page of Wittgenstein’s work, including his work on the foundations of mathematics, that is not devoted to an attempt to rescue our understanding of meaning by linking it… #corroborates (0.65)