This is poppycock.
Wittgenstein spent a lot of psychic energy when some of his students managed to undermine the thesis on which his reputation had been founded by giving him the fingers in the square.
They had, without a syllable communicated what an average writer would take paragraphs to describe.
People ususally communicate far more through tone of voice and body language. This is a fact that allows for the travel industry. The average tourist would starve to death if they had not the ability to point to what they would like to buy, or make a joke through facial grimaces.
And in case any reader here might think that I agree that this also means that "a picture is worth a thousand words" is likely to be misled. I now take photos out of laziness rather than bother to wear myself out typing about all that I see around me. Cropped, toned and prettified they are as illusory as language itself.
When you want to know what a person is thinking, look at their hands rather than their faces. All the stilted and diplomatic words just excanged by two heads of state on my TV have been upstaged by the way both protagonists kept the palms of their hands close to their chests.
Poker players will recognise what this means...
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