Final answer:
The student's question addresses philosophical and linguistic discussions of truth, language, and reality from a post-modern perspective. It highlights that language, while initially referential, evolves to perform complex social and symbolic functions, shaping our collective understanding of truth and reality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The query presented delves into the realm of linguistics, touching upon notions of truth, language, symbolism, and the societal functions of language modalities. It leans heavily on philosophical conceptions from post-modernism and pragmatism, dissecting the idea that language can describe an objective reality. Moreover, it implies that languages evolve and that words gain meaning within cultural and social contexts, diverging from mere referential functions to embody complex networks of metaphors and symbolic representation. The discussion suggests that rather than depicting a mirror of reality, language is a tool that shapes and construes reality itself according to collective human perception.
Understanding this concept requires acknowledging that the very meaning of 'truth' is a philosophical debate stretching back to the ancient Greeks, with Aristotle's proposition that a statement is true if it aligns with the fact it is affirming. However, in post-modern thought, truth is not just a reflection of reality but a consensual construct. Hence, the 'true language' mentioned is metaphorical, grounded in virtuous acts and sincere expression rather than objective correspondence to a pre-existing reality. This revelation is intimately connected to the notion that language and its metaphors articulate both concrete and abstract domains of human experience.