Varieties of Meaning

If, inn encountering person B, A were to perceive B as having their arm and finger extended away from their body, A could progressively draw a variety of inferences. First, that B's posture was preceded by a raising of the arm and a pointing of a finger. Second, that B intentionally raised their arm and pointed a finger. Third, that B intentionally raised their arm and pointed a finger in order to communicate something to A, or to anybody else in the vicinity. Finally, that B intentionally raised their arm and pointed a finger so that A, or anybody else, would draw an imaginary line from the tip of B's finger to some object at some distance away from the finger. Also, Cassirer cites studies that suggest that finger-pointing is derived from grasping with the hand. So, B's extended finger can be a sign of any of the following--a bodily movement, an intention, an expression, and a vicarious grasping--before it is taken as a pointing. Similarly, Causality, Intention, Expression, and Connotation can all explain Meaning independently of Reference. And, since that a phenomenon depends on the drawing of an inference to transform it into a sign of any kind, Inference is, at minimum, a necessary characteristic of Meaning.