“The real being of language is that into which we are taken up when we hear it — what is said.”

—  Hans-Georg Gadamer

Man and Language (1966)
Context: The more language is a living operation, the less we are aware of it. Thus it follows that from the forgetfulness of language that its real being consists in what is said in it. What is said in it constitutes the common world in which we live. … The real being of language is that into which we are taken up when we hear it — what is said.

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Hans-Georg Gadamer 16
German philosopher 1900–2002

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