The Meaning of Meaning

The central claim of The Meaning of Meaning is that language is a symbolic system that frequently misleads its users, and that a proper understanding of symbolism is essential for clear thought and communication.¹ Ogden and Richards propose a 'triangle of meaning' (also called the semiotic triangle) to illustrate the relationship among the symbol (the word), the thought or reference (the mental concept), and the referent (the actual thing in the world).² They argue that the symbol is only indirectly related to the referent, mediated by the thought, and that this indirectness is a source of confusion and misunderstanding. The book criticizes what it calls the 'proper meaning superstition'—the belief that words have fixed, inherent meanings—and instead emphasizes that meaning arises from context and use.³

The book had a profound impact on several fields, including linguistics, philosophy, and literary criticism, and it is often cited as a precursor to logical positivism and ordinary language philosophy.⁴ Its emphasis on the pragmatic aspects of meaning influenced later thinkers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein (especially in his later work) and the American pragmatists. In literary theory, Richards applied these ideas to practical criticism, arguing that a careful analysis of language can reveal the psychological and social effects of literature.⁵ The book also contributed to the development of general semantics, a movement founded by Alfred Korzybski, which sought to apply the insights of Ogden and Richards to everyday life and mental health.

Beyond its famous triangle, the book contains a detailed appendix by Bronisław Malinowski on the problem of meaning in primitive languages, which introduced the concept of 'context of situation'—a key idea in anthropological linguistics.⁶ Ogden later developed a simplified form of English called Basic English, which he claimed was a practical application of the book's principles for international communication.⁷ The book also includes a critical survey of earlier theories of meaning, from Plato to Bertrand Russell, and it coined the term 'semantics' in its modern sense, though the term had been used earlier by Michel Bréal.¹ The work was controversial in its time, with some critics accusing it of reducing meaning to mere psychological response, but it remains a landmark in the study of language.

The ideas of The Meaning of Meaning continue to resonate in contemporary debates about language, cognition, and communication. Its critique of the 'proper meaning superstition' anticipates later developments in cognitive linguistics and the theory of prototypes, which argue that meaning is not fixed but graded and context-dependent.⁴ The triangle of meaning is still taught in introductory courses on semiotics and the philosophy of language, and it remains a useful heuristic for analyzing the relationship between words, thoughts, and things.² The book's call for a 'science of symbolism' has been echoed in the rise of computational linguistics and natural language processing, which seek to model meaning in formal terms. Despite its age, the book remains a provocative and insightful exploration of the pitfalls and possibilities of human language.

Triangle of meaning

A diagram showing the relationship between a symbol, a thought, and a referent, with the symbol and referent connected only indirectly through the thought.

Proper meaning superstition

The mistaken belief that words have fixed, inherent meanings independent of context.

Context of situation

Malinowski's concept that the meaning of an utterance depends on the social and physical environment in which it is used.

Basic English

A simplified version of English developed by C. K. Ogden, based on a core vocabulary of 850 words, intended for international communication.

General semantics

A movement founded by Alfred Korzybski that applies the insights of Ogden and Richards to improve human reasoning and mental health.