Number of words: 201

A word is not a coin which, in anyone’s hand, does not change its value. We have no more reason to say that a man uses a reach in taking the offered glass. But there is also a sense in which we use words. So, when a question is asked, there is an unwritten rule that the speaker either raise or sustain the pitch of his voice at the last part of the sentence utterance, not drop it. Also, when telling the joke the punchline is always saved for the end. Or when giving orders, an imperative form of speech is used. This implies that there are ground rules, both for the use of the words and the purpose for which they are used. The performance is different in each case, even though the same words and sentences are used. Again, our expectation of the performance will depend on the purpose for which it is used. We do not expect the same accuracy in a joke or a fairy tale as we would expect in a report or a scientific statement. Language thus becomes a form of active behaviour.

Excerpted from page 102 of ‘Examinations: An Informative Update’ by M Mascarenhas.