Dictionary logic?

Question

Sudden thought: Imagine a dictionary containing all the words in a language. Whatever the word we want do define in that language, we need other words (of the same language) to define it, right? For example, if the definition of "chair" is "object used to seat on", and if I didn't know what that means, I would have to go search for the meanings of "object", "used", "to", "seat" and "on" (on the same dictionary). Doesn't this result ultimately in some kind of logic absurdity, when we will be defining words in a loop, ending up trying to explain words with words we are trying to define? Would we need to have self-defining or self-explanatory words? What do you think?

Answer 1

Also imagine learning that language and not knowing if the words that describe that word in our language means the same thing in their language. Imagine looking up your chair and the definition to chair being an object used to sit on, then finding out when you look up the rest of the words that they ultimately have nothing to do with what we recognize those words to me. For example if Chair meant Ladder and the definition of object in that language meant anything that made of jello. Then the definition of sit in that language meant to put your body in an upside down position and so on. If you change the language without knowing some history on the meaning of the words or the cultural history, it wouldn't make any sense to continue to look up the words because you would definetly end up in a never ending loop. Unless, perhaps someone created a computer program that could translate any sentence into English. That's the only way I would want to decipher a new language. I would have to leave it to someone or something smarter than I.

Answer 2

that's why my sweet kindergarten teacher didn't give us a thick dictionary each then ask us to memorize everything in it. but she showed us big, beautiful, colorful pictures and we didn't even see an alphabet. the words were written behind the pictures (on the other leaf) and she's the only one reading anything. a teacher is always the best dictionary.

though i did understand your question. i've gone through that (finding new, unfathomable words after another, 13 times over) and that's the dictionary in my own mother's tongue.

Answer 3

That's why a dictionary cannot teach you a language. You learn language by associating words and sentences with picture images in your mind.

Answer 4

Isn't it innate for survival in a race, be it human or nature? As well, isn't language a necessity for survival?
A -> B
Innate -> Survival
B -> C
Survival -> Language
A -> C
Innate -> Language
... does this make language an almost innate idea?

Answer 5

That's probably why we have so many synonyms and antonyms for words.