My (completely amateur) understanding is that the “extra” semantic and syntactic structure of written and spoken language does two things.
One, it adds redundancy and reduces error. Simple example, gendered pronouns mean that when you hear “Have you seen Laurence? She didn’t get much sleep last night.” you have a chance to ask the speaker for clarification and catch if they had actually said “Laura” and you misheard.
Two, it can be used as a signal. The correct use of jargon is used by listeners or readers as a proxy for competence. Or many typos in your text will indicate to readers that you haven’t put much effort into what you’re saying.
Could you explain more what you mean by this?
My (completely amateur) understanding is that the “extra” semantic and syntactic structure of written and spoken language does two things.
One, it adds redundancy and reduces error. Simple example, gendered pronouns mean that when you hear “Have you seen Laurence? She didn’t get much sleep last night.” you have a chance to ask the speaker for clarification and catch if they had actually said “Laura” and you misheard.
Two, it can be used as a signal. The correct use of jargon is used by listeners or readers as a proxy for competence. Or many typos in your text will indicate to readers that you haven’t put much effort into what you’re saying.