Thoughts on "Difference" and "Of the Imperfection of Words"

I feel that Locke's piece and Derrida's piece kind of go hand in hand. Locke talks about how a person can know a definition to a word, like difference, though without actually experiencing 'difference' it is hard to actually know what it means. This is particularly true when talking about certain words. Lets take the verb 'to run'. I can tell you that the definition of run is "movement faster than a walk, never having both or all the feet on the ground at the same time."(Merriam-Webster) While this definition definitely defines what a run is, it does not completely describe all aspects it. This definition does not tell you how your heart rate will increase, how the wind rushing past your body feels, or what it is like to sweat. This expanded definition of 'run' can only come from experience. If you have never run before, you will not be able to understand the full definition of the verb run.

On one hand we have words like run and on the other hand we have words like difference, which Derrida talks about. In her essay Derrida explains how 'difference' is neither a word nor a concept. This makes it very hard to describe or define. I agree with Derrida that words did not just appear out of nowhere, but instead were created in order to communicate between one another. Like mentioned in Locke's essay sounds and words were created to allow communication between two or more people. They are standardized, more or less, in order to prevent confusion between speakers. I believe the meaning of a word, to one individual, is truly sculpted by their own experiences and is not set in stone. Take the verb 'run' again, the general definition is the same for many people but the meaning and emotion behind that word fluctuates. One person may see running as a fun and happy experience, while another can see it as a taxing and exhausting act.


To sum it all up, words did not just come out of nowhere. To truly understand a word, and not just define it, one must experience it. And the experiences we have with the words help us create a more rounded definition. In other words, a word's definition is created, in a more or less standardized way, with slight differences between different people.

Works Cited:

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "Run". September 30, 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/run
• Derrida, Jacques. “Différance.” Literary Theory: An Anthology, Second Edition. Ed. Julie Rivkin and Michael Ryan. Malden, MA: Wiley/Blackwell, 2004. 278-288.
• Locke, John. “From An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.” The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present, Second Edition. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 814-827.