Words can Say it When We Can't

"Words are the ultimate abstraction"

When I first heard this saying I was a little confused as to what it meant. I have always found words to be the best way of expressing myself and the most effective way for me to communicate. This does not just mean "talking" with words, for me it is using words mixed with photos or images. Using words in poems or song lyrics, or added with an image has always been to me a direct and CLEAR way of saying what I felt. Then while learning about text and words in class I began to consider how the idea of words being the "ultimate" abstraction is could be an apparent contradiction.

The idea of words being an abstraction on their own and then adding the idea of textual design and fonts and how they then add additional meanings is a little overwhelming at first. Thinking about the additional meanings of the textual design itself and what that is "saying" to someone or the font that is used is "saying" something to people in addition to the actual spelled out word and what that means to people, so essentially to one person ONE word could hold the meaning of 3 different things. Each element that went into making this "word" and how it appears to us means something, but the meanings are not an abstraction they are clear meanings to us as individuals. So the saying the words are the "ultimate" abstraction would appear to be far from what words really are; which is something clear and distinct in meaning. Clear in the definition of the word, clear in how the textual design means or portrays a meaning on its own, and the font shows meaning or implies something as well. One object 3 separate , clear, meanings. That would make words clearly NOT an abstraction.

I think in order to understand the idea of the contradiction you have to have some knowledge of texts and fonts to be able to see or know that they too, in themselves have a meaning. Personally, words will always be a way for me to be able to communicate by using them with other forms of images. But words will always now have a meaning deeper than what they just spell out.