What is the weight of a breath ?If you ask someone you would come across two different answers . Some people would say nothing . I mean air is weightless . Others would say it’s invaluable . Those people aren’t technically wrong but they aren’t talking about the weight of a breath but the value of living .But who’s wrong comes down to who’s asking and they’re subjective opinion . A philosopher or a physicist ? And about there being two different answers I lied . I could only think of two answers. There’s probably more wrong than right but after all that’s up to you ,or me ,or both ,or either ,or someone ,or no one. In Nietzsche’s “On Truth and Lying Nietzsche says he first laws of truth. “For the contrast between truth and lie arises here for the first time.. The liar .. uses the valid designations, the words, in order to make something which is unreal appear to be real. .. He misuses fixed conventions by means of arbitrary substitutions or even reversals of names. “ explaining that truths and lies are closer than we think and is apart of the game we humans play for perceived superiority over each other in a battle of intellect and the very idea of right and wrong are a figment of our imagination
Additionally Nietzsche also says “The pride connected with knowing and sensing lies like a blinding fog over the eyes and senses of men, thus deceiving them concerning the value of existence. For this pride contains within itself the most flattering estimation of the value of knowing.” . In this quote he draws humankind as a ignorant creature that names to give reason to live through lies again mention blur between truth and lies as a system of oppression in which we shackle ourselves and gain superiority over others giving us a reason to live and without it we would have no desire to live or value life as much as we do. However I disagree with this notion as knowledge existing in the first place is the reason we place value on things and creates a as we would never think to place value in existence or anything for that matter without knowledge . Also us being living beings our existence inherently has value to us regardless of if we place a certain value and or priority to it. We don’t have to think about doing something as simple as breathing; it’s done without much thought. The toddler or newborn instinctively place value in staying alive in breathing despite not knowing yet the meaning of death and therefore the value of life. Therefore one could argue the will to live being tied with a self importance from the hubris we gain through the construct of intellect can be proven false dismantling Nietzsche’s argument of language and fact or truth being an illusion rather than a natural evolution of intellect that mankind was gifted. All in all we in both lies and truth fill the content of what and how we live . But as living being the choice and desire to live was given to us the minute we were born and transcend beyond the grand scheme of things even what we think we know.

Language is how humans are able to communicate with one another. Since everyone has the capability of understanding and speaking a language, some scientists don’t recognize the value of studying semiology (the study of signs and their interpretation which is a core aspect of language). Language is based upon the fluid relationship between the signifier and the signified. People can view a tree with wilted leaves and discuss their feelings towards it because language has created a space to share ideas. Scientists tend to forget that language is not “a name-giving system” (Saussure 851). The true nature of language can reveal a tremendous mystery, the tendencies of all individuals. Ferdinand De Saussure wants to deconstruct the notion, “language is a simple naming process”, and appreciate the complexities of language to showcase human nature as erratic. 

Psychologists and philosophers have taken steps to understanding how the human brain operates and actions executed by people, respectively; however, certain components of language can demonstrate the convoluted nature of humans. First off, language and individuals have an extensive connection because language follows an individual from the moment that they are born to their last moment of life. As an individual develops and experiences different points of their lives, their language is also going to evolve. A fifth grader’s language is not the same as a college professor’s language and it is a result of their different points in life. A fifth grader has not been exposed to a wide range of vocabulary, they have not endured high school and college level courses, and they have not interacted with as many people in comparison to a college professor. New words and phrases are picked up as a person enters different stages of their lives. Also, it is important to acknowledge that language is not completely arbitrary. Due to different circumstances that an individual can encounter, it can be difficult to pinpoint how and why a person’s language has changed. However, every language has a set of grammar rules that are evident in a person’s speech. A fifth grader and a college professor both deliver sentences, questions, and different kinds of phrases to speak with other people. In addition, they are both able to view an image and draw their own conclusions based upon it. Yes, their use of language and vocabulary could be different, but there are grammar rules set in place to guide conversations. Regardless if an individual has been studying language for the past decade or if an individual has just graduated elementary school, they both use language to communicate their ideas and understand the world through signifers and the signified. 

Now stepping away from the individual, the characteristics of a language came to be because of different communities. Language is a combination of arbitrariness and structure. The arbitrariness stems from the relationship between words and concepts. The relation between the signifier (word or sound-image) and the signified (concept) is random. For example, there is no sturdy reasoning as to why the word “horse” is related to the concept of a horse. Furthermore, “the signs used in writing are arbitrary; there is no connection, for example, between the letter t and the sound that it designates” (Saussure 861). Based upon these examples, it is evident that language is based upon differences. Since, “words do not stand for preexisting concepts, there are differences in meaning from one language to the next” (Saussure 859). Different communities come together to create different social contracts that bring meaning to a particular image. Also, different languages have different grammar rules that are set in place. Though language is mutable by nature, the meaning of a word can not change overnight. People have to come together, evaluate how and why the word is changing, see how the change is applied and seen in their own fluid lives, and socially approve the change. The social contract different communities have created for words are proof of the structure that is consistent through language. People are heavily involved in their languages. 

A concrete component of all humans is their use of language, regardless of the changes that occur in their lives. The innate relationship between language and humans allows for linguistics to understand how the complexities in language are mirrored in the complexities that surround a human. Language is organic, it is always evolving because humans are always evolving.  Language demonstrates how no one can accurately predict an individual’s thoughts and actions. An individual’s words can reveal a person’s thoughts and motive behind their actions. Further, writing (a tangible expression) helps linguists understand complicated humans. I say complicated because even with all of those resources, there is a possibility that someone could be lying. So why try to dissect the actions of a human through language? Because it is fascinating how a human is able to be concrete, yet fluid at the same time.