Abstraction

Language operates at many levels of abstraction, ranging from very vague to very specific. You might talk in such broad, vague terms that no one knows what you are staying (“Stuff is cool!”), or you can speak so specifically that people may think you are keeping notes for a court case against them: “I saw you at 10:32 P.M. on Friday, January 29, at the right-hand corner table of Harry’s Bar with a six-foot-tall, brown-haired man wearing black jeans, boots, and a powder blue T-shirt.”

The abstraction ladder (Hayakawa, 1964) illustrates the specific versus general levels of abstraction (see Figure 3.1). The top rungs of the ladder are high-level abstractions: he most general and vague. Lower-level abstractions are more specific and can help you understand more precisely what people mean. “Let’s watch something interesting on Netflix” is a high abstraction that allows a wide range of choices (and the possibility of some really bad movies). Saying “I’d like to watch a historical drama tonight” (lower abstraction) is more likely to get you something you’ll enjoy, whereas naming the exact movie (“Let’s watch Lincoln”) ensures satisfaction.

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Figure 3.1: FIGURE 3.1 THE ABSTRACTION LADDER

But even though lower abstractions ensure clarity, high abstractions can accomplish certain communication goals. Here are a few examples: