Language

Language is not just a vehicle for communication; it operates on multiple levels, each revealing different layers of meaning and sensation. These levels—sense, nonsense, common sense, and jouis-sense—are intricately woven together, forming a complex web of meaning that goes beyond simple words.

• Sense is the level of clear, logical meaning, where words are used in their conventional way to convey understanding.
• Nonsense introduces the irrational or absurd side of language, where words or phrases defy logical interpretation but still provoke thought or emotion.
• Common sense is the shared, culturally accepted understanding of language—what is widely agreed upon as sensible or reasonable in society.
• Jouis-sense is perhaps the most complex of all, a term that merges “jouissance” (enjoyment or excess) with sense. It refers to the surplus of meaning or the hidden truths in language that exceed rational understanding, tapping into deeper emotional and psychological realms.

Together, these levels create a dynamic flow within language, where meanings shift, overlap, and transform. As words move between these levels, they reveal unconscious truths and excesses of language—like puns or double meanings—that go beyond what is immediately understood. Language, therefore, is not just a medium of communication but a living, evolving system that speaks to both our conscious and unconscious minds.

How we use language everyday is powerful, significant and deeply effects our being.

It cannot be underestimated.

Re-interpreting the language that defines education is one of the key means to re-defining education at large.

Until next time,

Mon x