The existence of words is made possible by the mind's spontaneous recognition of symmetries. Trees, for instance, share common elements that could be described as the symmetries of tree-ness. The symmetries of tree-ness can receive an additional mental symmetry in utterance.
This utterance becomes a cultural artifact, and we say something has been named. When the culture of utterance achieves a palette of symmetries that enable communication of even the most rudimentary sort we have a language. Crows have a language. Dogs have a language. Almost all animals have a repertoire of utterance as behavior cuing specific symmetries found in their environment; i.e. a language. None of these languages seem rudimentary to their native speakers because any language is limited by the physical ability to form sounds, and by the native ability to recognize and bring into the field of consciousness, symmetries.
Words do not symbolize their referents. Words become part of the mental symmetry of their referents; and symmetry is the foundation of the recognition of anything what so ever. To perceive something is one thing and to recognize it is another. What ever the reality of trees may be the only way we know anything about them is through information assembly in the brain. The assembly of this information into meaning requires the spontaneous recognition of symmetries, and utterance becomes an integral element of the corresponding symmetry. Words do not re-present their referents; words are an integral element of presence.
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