Describe an experience, or an object, or some objects (not too many) in strictly sensory-grounded language. describe what is or was happening entirely in terms of what can be seen, heard, touched, smelled or tasted. recommend avoiding interpersonal experiences or any experience too strongly charged with positive or negative emotion, as these almost invariably bring in abstract interpretations and inferences, such as ’emotions,’* from sensory information, and which tend to get mixed up with the sensory information when we’re experiencing them. Recommend focusing on one or at most a few objects, and keeping within a very restricted time frame. Attempting to link events that are widely separated in time almost invariably requires more abstract, non-sensory terms about relations and time measures (e.g. neither ‘yesterday’ nor ‘tomorrow’ are sensory-grounded terms, and even ‘today’ is contestable). Remember that a great deal is happening even in a moment. The experience you are describing should, ideally, be largely wordless. If verbal information must intrude it can be included, precisely as heard (or read), and without interpretation, in quotation marks. For example: The woman walked into the room, her shoulders back, and spoke the words, “Here I am.” The aim is to purify your language, to the extent possible, of everything that is not a description of direct sensory experience. The assignment will be evaluated particularly with regard to: -clarity – does your (mis)use of English grammar contribute to a clear description or detract from it? (for example, an inconsistent use of verb tenses will tend to detract from the quality of sensory presence; wrong use of articles or punctuation may simply make it unclear what you are describing) -precision – are you describing the experience in rich detail? -accuracy – is what you are describing indeed something(s) or an experience that can be sensed?
#Sensorygrounded #Language
