Ursula Stange wrote: > This article came across my screen this morning and seemed related to > the Sunday waffle. It reminded me of an old Star Trek episode where > the crew must try to communicate with an alien people who speak only > in metaphor. I've occasionally used part of the episode in my class > because Capt. Picard tells the story of Gilgamesh. I believe it was > called "Darmok" but the most memorable line was "Temba, with arms > wide." **The "Darmok" episode is extremely useful in my communication courses -- been showing it for years also, Ursula. Communication by metaphor only -- is an incredible concept to grasp for undergrad Comm. majors. TC, /Steve Cameron, NJ > > Coincidentally, I reread this week, George Orwell's little treatise > on the demise of the English language. He makes the point that some > metaphors get so old and stale that they no longer carry their > original meaning with them and get used entirely superficially (and > misquoted into the bargain). His example was the use of 'towing the > line' for 'toeing the line.' What power can a metaphor have if half > the population associates the wrong image with it? Perhaps it > doesn't matter, though. The phrase eventually takes on a meaning of > its own which we can learn from context. We understand the idea of > limelight, for instance, even when we don't know why it's called > that. > > http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000BE01D-E7E3-1294-A7E383414B7F0000 > > > Ursula, towing the line all by herself in North Bay > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To > change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, > digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html