Mark Mobius on the measurement of ‘meaning’ and why it matters

“WHAT do you mean by that?” It’s a question often asked in a conversation. When someone says “I love that building”, it is bound to elicit a response asking for more clarification. “What do you mean by that? How do you like that building? Is it architecturally beautiful? Do you like its size?” Or “I think she is beautiful.” “What do you mean by that? Do you think she is stylish, hot, strong or what?”

Words are supposed to have meanings, but a single word or phrase cannot truly encompass the totality of meaning. It is this challenge to communication that people in the advertising industry, the politicians trying to win an election, and people in any endeavour requiring communication have. The problem has been the topic of scholars for quite some time, and some have come up with intriguing answers.

When I was studying at the University of Wisconsin in 1960, one of my professors was Percy Tannenbaum. In 1957, he wrote a book with Charles Osgood and George Suci called The Measurement of Meaning, which presented a fascinating theory of what constituted meaning.