Dear Mind workers at large, I don't think I can shoot down wsieber's wild goose with a single-shot rifle, so here I go, bourbon in hand, with a shotgun approach to wsieber's question.

***The thing ~~//~~> selected sensory extraction from the totality of the environment. ~~//~~> the formulation of a vocal sound for the referent. ~~//~~> the creation of written symbols that represents the sound symbols that represents the selected sensory essence of the thing. ~~//~~> the integration of the spoken symbol for the referent into the mind-system of a sapient being ~~//~~> the integration of the written symbol into the belief system of the reader.

~~> = transfer of information
// = filtering of information.

Point: The miracle of communication is that it works at all.

***The howler monkey does not see the lion stretching and yawning over by the waterhole so he doesn't cry out the monkey signal scream for lion. What he sees is a big yellow furry mass rolling in the grass. A lion is something different. A lion has hungry eyes and moves with stealth and intent and can erupt any moment into a blur of slashing claws and gouging teeth. A snake is different. Dead or alive, slithering or sunning, when a howler monkey sees one of these sticks with a crook he screams with great bloodcurl the monkey word for snake and all hell breaks loose.

Point: In innate monkey philosophy a lion is merely an affect of the environment, while the snake is an entity that exists through time, the monkey beginnings of Personality Theory.

***Are words real? Yes. In every way we apply the term "realness". Physical electro-chemical processes occur in the brain and sound waves are emitted from the mouth. We can literally eat words if we eat a book. Are their meanings real? Gravity is real and can kill. Gravity waves have yet to be detected, we know gravity by it's effect. Turn on your TV and see the flames of the Mideast. Words and meanings by any definition are as real as a brick.

Point: I must leave and get a haircut but I will be back.