In the film Guardians of the Galaxy the walking tree called Groot can only be heard to say “I am Groot”. He says “I am Groot” to ask a question, answer a question, agree, disagree, celebrate, commiserate and only once does he use it to identify himself.

Vin Diesel voices the phrase variously to give us some idea of what Groot is saying. Groot is the embodiment of the Wittgensteinian dictum ‘language is use’. In the film the phrase “I am Groot” has different meanings depending on how the phrase intersects with the social situation. Each social situation, according to Wittgenstein is a unique language-game, and each social interaction in the Guardians of the Galaxy which incorporates the words “I am Groot” is a unique use of the phrase.

Meaning doesn’t attach to words. Meaning is engendered by the social context that the words are part of. Strictly speaking, meaning is that social interaction.

 

This animation builds 3 of my ‘everyday object line-drawings’ more-or-less from scratch. It’s surprising how few details are required before you recognise what is being built.