Literal reminds me of black and white with a hard line between them – not a gradient – because it is clear. If it had a smell, it would smell like 55 degree air in the morning lack of confusion is like sweet pure air and the understanding from literal explanations is invigorating to the mind, like cold air is to the lungs. It would taste like pure water because it is free of ambiguous metaphors. It would feel like a shiny, dense metal cube with unrounded edges because it is next to being perfect and full of useful information. “Literal” is one of my favorite words because it brings clarity to communication.
“Literal” reminds me of having a thirst for knowledge because I use it to ask for literal explanations. It is a good word to use, because it might give the TA the impression that I would prefer the hard and cold facts first (before analogies). It is striking to the listener because the listener might come to the conlcusion that there is only one meaning that you mean. For example, if I asked, without using "literal", "Can you explain how the 'AND' gate works?" then there would be multiple ways to explain.
Explanation one: The TA could take an analogy strategy, and attempt to make it easier to understand by comparing an "AND" gate to a light switch. The power has to be on, plus the switch has to be turned on, in order for the light to be on.
Explanation two: The second way to explain how it works might be "If two wires both have a current, then the piece of silicon has some particles in it attracted to the side, which allows the current to go through, causing the 3rd wire to have a current," or something like that.
Usually, my mind craves an answer like explanation two. However, TAs might give answers like explanation one, perhaps because they do not expect a question that is beyond the minimum knowledge needed to do the homework. In order to make what I'm asking for clearer, I can use the word "literal" to attempt to clarify that I want a definition like explanation two, by asking, “Can you explain how the 'AND' gate literally works?" Asking a specific question afterwards, such as "What do the lines in the diagram represent in real life?" might help clarify what I mean by "literal."
If the real information doesn’t make sense, then an analogy could be given to attempt to help interpret the information. However, going straight to an analogy is generally not my preference, so the word literal is like music to my ears and like pure water to my tongue when I say it.
I liked your example! The word literal is literally needed. No pun intended :)
ReplyDeleteWhen i think of literal, i think of the actual meaning. Literal is what was actually meant or understood originally. It is straightforward, no messing around. Something's literal meaning isn't complicated, it is simple and yet it is often quite profound.
ReplyDeleteI like it when things and explanations are literal. It gives me a clear definition or instruction of what it is exactly that I need to be doing. It makes life a lot more simple, and we all like when there is less confusion.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I agree, it makes life a lot more simple! I agree that simplicity can be profound. It is even fashionable, like in interior design, I think.
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