The Crooked Take of Gossip on the Hydraulic Metaphors of Communication and Knowledge

Abstract

When the source of information is unknown and it is not possible to clearly identify the senders, receivers or the channel of a message, we are facing gossip. Thus, this phenomenon problematizes two of the most popular hydraulic metaphors of knowledge and communication: the source metaphor and the channel metaphor. The first, thematized by Hans Kellner, argues that for knowledge to be legitimate, its source must be identified. The second, objected to by Roy Harris, states that communication is transmitted from the sender to the receiver through a direct channel, without detours. It can be argued that both are part of what has been called the myth of language: as in the case of gossip, knowledge is language-dependent and therefore self-instituted, and does not function by telementation from a sender to a receiver, but is interpreted and constructed by all parties involved. The permeability of the border between the illegitimate and the legitimate suggests a relationship of complementarity between gossip and knowledge, which ultimately leads to reflection on what gives value to the information available to speakers in their daily lives.