Even in written communication, one can often be misunderstood if one uses a term or refers to a story, and yet your understanding of that term or story is different than the generally accepted one. This doesn’t mean that you can’t disagree about the meaning. My point is that, if your understanding is significantly different from that of others, then you need to explicitly argue for your different understanding, or else risk misunderstanding.
What I’m really wondering is whether any readers of this blog know of research done on how people allude to familiar stories or challenge familiar assumptions or views in an oral context or in oral communication. I’m currently working this subject, and invite your input!
Just as an aside, I was tempted to give this post the title “That story you keep telling, I don’t think it means what you think it means”…
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