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===6.5. Three Styles of Linguistic Usage===

===6.5. Three Styles of Linguistic Usage===

The theory of sign relations, in general, and the construction of a RIF, in particular, demands that this discussion strike a compromise among several styles of usage that are not normally brought together in the same forum or comprehended in the same frame.  Under the rubric of a ''notion of style'' or a ''norm of significance'' (NOS) this text recognizes a collective need for three distinctive styles of linguistic usage, or three different attitudes toward the intentions of language.

The theory of sign relations, in general, and the construction of a RIF, in particular, demands that this discussion strike a compromise among several styles of usage that are not normally brought together in the same forum or comprehended in the same frame.  Under the rubric of a "notion of style" or a "norm of significance" (NOS) this text recognizes a collective need for three distinctive styles of linguistic usage, or three different attitudes toward the intentions of language.

These styles of usage, along with their correlated perspectives on usage and their appropriate contexts of usage, can be put into a graded series by noticing how the more finely grained perspectives on the matter of language use correspond to the more narrowly scoped areas of content that are swept out by their roughly concentric contexts of discussion.  Accordingly, the styles, perspectives, and contexts of usage that I need to relate can be distinguished as follows, proceeding in order of their increasing formality:

These styles of usage, along with their correlated perspectives on usage and their appropriate contexts of usage, can be put into a graded series by noticing how the more finely grained perspectives on the matter of language use correspond to the more narrowly scoped areas of content that are swept out by their roughly concentric contexts of discussion.  Accordingly, the styles, perspectives, and contexts of usage that I need to relate can be distinguished as follows, proceeding in order of their increasing formality:

1. Broadest of all is the "informal language" (IL) context, which incorporates the "ordinary mathematical" context within its compass.  Relative to the aims of the present work, which are largely mathematical, these two contexts are roughly coextensive and can be treated as one.  All of the more usual contexts are marked by the operation of a working assumption about the interpretation of formal symbols that I call the "object convention".  Loosely speaking, this takes it for granted that signs always refer to objects, not because of any credible guarantees that they do, but mostly due to a lack of interest in the cases where they do not.  Failures of meaning, logical inconsistencies, and doubts about the foundations of the whole enterprise are treated as incidental problems to be discussed and corrected off line.

# Broadest of all is the ''informal language'' (IL) context, which incorporates the ''ordinary mathematical'' context within its compass.  Relative to the aims of the present work, which are largely mathematical, these two contexts are roughly coextensive and can be treated as one.  All of the more usual contexts are marked by the operation of a working assumption about the interpretation of formal symbols that I call the ''object convention''.  Loosely speaking, this takes it for granted that signs always refer to objects, not because of any credible guarantees that they do, but mostly due to a lack of interest in the cases where they do not.  Failures of meaning, logical inconsistencies, and doubts about the foundations of the whole enterprise are treated as incidental problems to be discussed and corrected off line.

 

# Next in order is the ''formal language'' (FL) context, where the syntax of expressions needs to be specified explicitly and where the semantics of expressions does not usually permit every combination of signs to have a meaning.  All of the more formal contexts are marked by the operation of a working assumption about the interpretation of formal symbols that I call the ''sign convention''.  Roughly speaking, this views a sign primarily as a ''mere'' sign, putting it in question whether any sign has an object.  In styles of usage at this or greater degrees of formality, the reception of signs is marked by a heightened suspicion, where the benefit of the doubt and the burden of proof in the matter of signs having meaning are critically reversed from their natural defaults.  Signs are assumed to be innocent of meaning until shown otherwise.

2. Next in order is the "formal language" (FL) context, where the syntax of expressions needs to be specified explicitly and where the semantics of expressions does not usually permit every combination of signs to have a meaning.  All of the more formal contexts are marked by the operation of a working assumption about the interpretation of formal symbols that I call the "sign convention".  Roughly speaking, this views a sign primarily as a "mere" sign, putting it in question whether any sign has an object.  In styles of usage at this or greater degrees of formality, the reception of signs is marked by a heightened suspicion, where the benefit of the doubt and the burden of proof in the matter of signs having meaning are critically reversed from their natural defaults.  Signs are assumed to be innocent of meaning until shown otherwise.

# Most constrained of all is the ''computational language'' (CL) context, which incorporates the interests of computational linguistics along with the aims of implementing and using programming languages.  There are many styles of programming languages and many more styles of putting them to use.  I concentrate here on a particular version of the Pascal language and describe the particular ways I have chosen to implement the concepts I need with the constructs it makes available.

 

3. Most constrained of all is the "computational language" (CL) context, which incorporates the interests of computational linguistics along with the aims of implementing and using programming languages.  There are many styles of programming languages and many more styles of putting them to use.  I concentrate here on a particular version of the Pascal language and describe the particular ways I have chosen to implement the concepts I need with the constructs it makes available.

Next I need to consider the complex of relationships that exists among these three styles of usage, along with the corresponding relationships that exist among their associated perspectives and contexts.  In regard to the questions raised by these three NOSs, the pragmatic theory of sign relations is intended to help reflective interpreters, and other students of language, maintain all the advantages of taking up abstract and isolated perspectives on language use, but to achieve this without losing a sense of the connection that each peculiar outlook has to the richly interwoven pattern of a larger unity.

Next I need to consider the complex of relationships that exists among these three styles of usage, along with the corresponding relationships that exist among their associated perspectives and contexts.  In regard to the questions raised by these three norms of significance, the pragmatic theory of sign relations is intended to help reflective interpreters, and other students of language, maintain all the advantages of taking up abstract and isolated perspectives on language use, but to achieve this without losing a sense of the connection that each peculiar outlook has to the richly interwoven pattern of a larger unity.

In many places these variegated styles of usage express themselves not so much in isolated domains of influence or distinctive layers of context as in different perspectives on the same text.  But different lights on a developing picture can cause different figures and patterns to emerge, and different ways of treating a developing text can lead it to grow in different directions.  Thus, discrepant points of view on the emergence of a literature can stimulate different works to vie for its canon, and discriminating angles of approach to what seems like a level plain and a unified field of language can harvest a wealth of alternate appreciations.  And so different styles of writing arise in correspondence with different styles of reading, and each rising style of readership engenders a new style of authorship in its wake.

In many places these variegated styles of usage express themselves not so much in isolated domains of influence or distinctive layers of context as in different perspectives on the same text.  But different lights on a developing picture can cause different figures and patterns to emerge, and different ways of treating a developing text can lead it to grow in different directions.  Thus, discrepant points of view on the emergence of a literature can stimulate different works to vie for its canon, and discriminating angles of approach to what seems like a level plain and a unified field of language can harvest a wealth of alternate appreciations.  And so different styles of writing arise in correspondence with different styles of reading, and each rising style of readership engenders a new style of authorship in its wake.

At other times these degrees of formality play themselves out in a temporal process.  Consider a typical scenario for solving problems through formalization:

At other times these degrees of formality play themselves out in a temporal process.  Consider a typical scenario for solving problems through formalization: