How can a word mean different things over time?

Image: Jan Saenredam / After Cornelis van Haarlem, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Real

How can a word mean different things over time?

Imagine you hear a word in a conversation and later think about it, but your memory isn't perfect. You remember it as a different word.

The meaning of a word shifts subtly each time it's used, like a chameleon changing colors. This idea is called 'différance.'

Example

You first hear "cat" and think of a furry animal. Later, you remember "cat" as "kitten," associating it with youth.

Remember this

'Différance' captures how language meaning evolves over time, influenced by context and memory.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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