The picture theory of language, also known as the picture theory of meaning, is a theory of linguistic reference and

meaning Meaning most commonly refers to: * Meaning (linguistics), meaning which is communicated through the use of language * Meaning (philosophy), definition, elements, and types of meaning discussed in philosophy * Meaning (non-linguistic), a general te ...

articulated by Ludwig Wittgenstein in the '' Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus''. Wittgenstein suggested that a meaningful proposition pictured a state of affairs or atomic fact. Wittgenstein compared the concept of logical pictures (german: Bilder) with spatial pictures. The picture theory of language is considered a

correspondence theory of truth In metaphysics and philosophy of language, the correspondence theory of truth states that the truth or falsity of a statement is determined only by how it relates to the world and whether it accurately describes (i.e., corresponds with) that world ...

. Wittgenstein claims there is an unbridgeable gap between what can be expressed in language and what can only be expressed in non-verbal ways. The picture theory of meaning states that statements are meaningful if, and only if, they can be defined or pictured in the real world. Wittgenstein's later investigations laid out in the First Part of '' Philosophical Investigations'' refuted and replaced his earlier picture-based theory with a

use theory of meaning ''Philosophical Investigations'' (german: Philosophische Untersuchungen) is a work by the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, published posthumously in 1953. ''Philosophical Investigations'' is divided into two parts, consisting of what Wittgens ...

. However, the second psychology-focused Part of ''Philosophical Investigations'' employs the concept as a metaphor for human psychology.

References

{{Ludwig Wittgenstein Theories of language Ludwig Wittgenstein

See also

References