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Can we indicate abstract quality or attribute with a finger? or can we only indicate concrete things with a finger? I’m serious.

alice
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    Sure. Keep in mind that even qualities considered "concrete" in everyday talk, such as colors, are, strictly speaking, abstract, they cover multiple concrete instances. So the difference is only in degree, not kind. You can point a finger at Mona Lisa to indicate "beautiful", for example. But the more abstract a quality the more finger pointing will be required at various instances to make sure that your target catches your drift. – Conifold May 01 '21 at 08:12
  • @Conifold This answer is helpful. – alice May 01 '21 at 08:19
  • This question is related to some deep philosophical problems such as inscrutability of ostensive reference and holism in language learning and translation. You may find Engelland's book Ostension: Word Learning and the Embodied Mind interesting. After pointing, "his son began calling all liquids "milk" including water and urine... Engelland redescribes the case as one according to which "he was right that we were speaking about a liquid" and that "he rightly 'overextended' milk"". – Conifold May 01 '21 at 09:12
  • As cautioned by Wittgenstein in his private language argument due to ostensive definition (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_language_argument), most of times finger pointing or other means of private language is useless though certainly they help limited number of people communicate within small distance. They key is not finger here, it may even be a smile, an act like pick up a flower, etc. The key is the consciousness and intelligent level of the receiver given or if the signifier is wise... – Double Knot May 02 '21 at 21:05

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