--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Entranced by the denotative power of…" description: "\"Entranced by the denotative power of words to define, to order, to represent the things around us, weve overlooked the songful dimension of language so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/david-abram-15943_ancestor_entranced-by-the-denotative-power-of-wor_1198850.jpg" --- # Entranced by the denotative power of words to define, to… ![“Entranced by the denotative power of words to define, to order, to represent the things around us, weve overlooked the songful dimension of language so obvious to our oral [storytelling] ancestors. Weve lost our ear for the music of language -- for the rhythmic, melodic layer of speech by which…” quote by David Abram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/david-abram-15943_ancestor_entranced-by-the-denotative-power-of-wor_1198850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/david-abram-15943_ancestor_entranced-by-the-denotative-power-of-wor_1198850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/023/david-abram-15943_ancestor_entranced-by-the-denotative-power-of-wor_1198850.jpg) > “Entranced by the denotative power of words to define, to order, to represent the things around us, weve overlooked the songful dimension of language so obvious to our oral \[storytelling\] ancestors. Weve lost our ear for the music of language -- for the rhythmic, melodic layer of speech by which earthly things overhear us.” [David Abram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-abram/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage laments that modern focus on literal definitions of language has caused us to forget its musical, rhythmic qualities that ancient oral traditions cherished. **In simple terms:** We’ve lost the musical side of language. Key Takeaway Re‑engage with the sound and rhythm of speech. Themes language culture history music Mood nostalgic analytical Type cultural reflective When to use this quote - education - public speaking - creative writing - media production Key Concepts oral tradition semantic focus cognitive shift Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance meaning with musicality? - What does losing the “song” of language affect us? A Different Perspective The claim may romanticize the past and overlook benefits of precise language. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dimensions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensions/) [Earthly things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthly-things/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Power of words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-of-words/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Human language, for us moderns, has swung in on itself, turning its back on the beings around us. Language is a human property, suitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-abram/human-language-for-us-moderns-has-swung-in-on-itself-turning-its-back/) [David Abram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-abram/) > [ I definitely have a gift for language that is rhythmic and attractive to the ear, and I have interesting \[verbal\] imagery which I guess… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-definitely-have-a-gift-for-language-that-is-rhythmic-and-attractive/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I wanted to capture the excitement of house music, almost like a four-four beat, and the best way to do that was to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-wanted-to-capture-the-excitement-of-house-music-almost-like-a-four/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [For me, a story's a story if people want to hear it; it's very much based on oral storytelling. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/everybody-in-my-family-were-great-storytellers-my-dad-and-his/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Ye cannot serve God and mammon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/ye-cannot-serve-god-and-mammon/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [I have read of a glass kept in an idol temple in Smyrna that would make beautiful things appear deformed, and deformed things appear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-venning/i-have-read-of-a-glass-kept-in-an-idol-temple-in-smyrna-that-would/) [Ralph Venning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-venning/) > [“In many ways, aging well is about learning to let go of earthly things and clinging to God alone”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-buchanan/in-many-ways-aging-well-is-about-learning-to-let-go-of-earthly-things/) Missy Buchanan > [“When the Eternal bows the skies To visit earthly things, With scorn divine he turns his eyes From towers of haughty kings. He bids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/when-the-eternal-bows-the-skies-to-visit-earthly-things-with-scorn/) [Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/) ## More by David Abram > [Does the human intellect, or "reason," really spring us free from our inherence in the depths of this wild proliferation of forms? Or on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-abram/does-the-human-intellect-or-reason-really-spring-us-free-from-our/) [David Abram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-abram/) > [“Human language, for us moderns, has swung in on itself, turning its back on the beings around us. Language is a human property, suitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-abram/human-language-for-us-moderns-has-swung-in-on-itself-turning-its-back/) [David Abram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-abram/) > [Only as the written text began to speak would the voices of the forest, and of the river, begin to fade. 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