In exploring the architecture of language
the eye of knowledge lingers on a hypothetical premise: the “before” of the word. We can imagine the word itself as a threshold, an ideal doorway. To cross it is to enter a realm where multifaceted meanings invite exploration. The door thus assumes a dual condition, both physical and symbolic, defined by the general sense the word embodies. The place that gathers all the doors of knowledge is an open courtyard, exposed to both sky and earth. Its floor, suspended in the void, offers a vision of the ground below, while the sky serves as its ceiling.

Each word corresponds to one of these ideal doors, which, at our command, open onto constellations of interconnected definitions. The matrix that generates them is unique, yet its essence modulates, transforming each term into an autonomous and meaningful entity. The expansion of a word’s meaning allows for amplification, drawing out the elements most akin to our search. This process invites us to investigate the qualities of the space preceding the word. Imagine communicating an idea without verbal language: gesture emerges as the first vehicle, an instinctive and immediate expression of intention.

The eye of knowledge moves backward, urging instinct to seek ancient expressive tools. This regression transforms the present into a distant past; to access such a space is to explore the intuitive origins of thought. Intuition, in fact, connects all species: from mother to child, from human to object, from things to Nature, up to the ultimate bond between humanity and Nature itself. The possibility of dialoguing with Nature, granted to humanity in multiple forms, often transcends canonical speech. Communication occurs through songs, laments, prayers, actions, and exhortations, intuitive models for transmitting meaning. The word, when it finally appears, is already clothed in poetry, embodied in the texts of songs, becoming a bridge to the other.

The faculty of speech adds a further quality: it garments words with personal meaning, elaborates them, and re-codes them. This variation of definitions is, in itself, a creative act. Indefinition, as semantic openness, becomes an exalted quality, celebrated for the breadth of its own boundaries. If we consider the word as a phase that follows the idea which, for functional reasons, uses the verb to make itself intelligible, it reveals a world still unexplored: rich with multiple natures and in constant transformation.

From "Design of New Words" Before the Word by Filippo Lo Presti 1989