Today I was walking down the street when an e-bike drove past me. My first thought: "So THAT'S what an e-bike is." The same thing happened when I first saw a picture of Spongebob Squarepants. "Oh, THAT must be Spongebob Squarepants!"
This phenomenon, seeing a tangible thing you've previously only seen referred to in writing and instantly recognizing that it's what the word in question refers to, needs a name.
Nuances: This concept doesn't include when you learn what a word refers to by looking it up or having it explained to you. This doesn't include learning what a word refers to by hearing or reading it used in context. It is specifically the phenomenon of recognizing the referent the moment you see it with your own eyes, without clues or context.
2 comments:
Retrocognition?
Doesn't that already mean something else?
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