A word is an arbitrary label - that's the foundation of linguistics. B…

Steven Pinker
216 citations
A word is an arbitrary label - that's the foundation of linguistics. But many people think otherwise. They believe in word magic: that uttering a spell, incantation, curse, or prayer can change the world. Don't snicker: Would you ever say, 'Nothing has gone wrong yet' without looking for wood to knock?
Humanity Thought
34

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