Many tend to think of language in terms of transactions made and completed. I go to Bucklix and put a coke and two moon pies on the belt; I pay my money; the clerk says: “hav a naice deh.” The transaction works perfectly; I hav a naice deh eating my moon pies and drinking my coke.
If you have just celebrated Valentine’s Day and whispered sweet nothings into your significant other’s ear, you know language is more than a simple matter of transactions. One Renaissance commentator called the non-transactional aspect of language a “Royal Game.” This game theory of language pays attention to the various playful aspects of language which often fall to the back of our minds when we contemplate the very serious “business” of language.
Respond with an anecdote, a poem, or a quip which reveals your understanding of language as a “Royal Game.”
