General Semantics

A Tutorial

Welcome to Alicia and Matt’s online tutorial on General Semantics. This tutorial was in large part inspired by and based on Catherine Minteer’s book Words and What They Do To You. Many of the exercises are culled from or directly based on those offered in that book. This tutorial is designed for adults and teens as an introduction to the system of General Semantics. It is hoped that after going through it, at their own pace, the learner will have a visceral grasp of some of the basic principles of GS. This tutorial is not intended as a comprehensive account of GS; links and readings will be provided in Module 8 for the individual who wishes to learn more. To start, click on “Module 1.”

                                    Module 1: Introduction                                        Module 2: Time Binding

                                    Module 3: Abstracting                                    Module 4: Non-Allness

                                    Module 5: Indexing                                            Module 6: Maps and Words

                                    Module 7: Facts vs Inferences                             Module 8: Conclusion

Alfred Korzybski (second row, center) and Seminar, c.1938

Photo courtesy of Steve Stockdale/Dallas-Fort Worth Center for General Semantics

Tutorial created by Matthew Cole and Alicia Sugiyama.

University of Arizona, School of Information Resources and Library Science.