Playing by/with the rules: Creativity in language, games, and art

Bergs and Kompa (Creativity within and outside the linguistic system. 13. 1, 2020) discuss creativity in language, which they see as largely rule-bound, as opposed to ‘true,’ rule-breaking creativity in the arts. However, the distinction between intra- and extra-system creativity is not always easy to make. Languages have evolved into efficient systems for communication and occasionally allow for divergences of their own norms, within limits of comprehensibility, just like games are developed to enable maximum player creativity or even rule bending (as in the case of Monopoly Cheaters Edition). The paradox of systems licencing violations of their own norms and rules is similar to the one underlying avant-garde as one or more in the history of art, when breaking with expectations was the vogue of the time — hence, somehow to be expected. Judging art as innovative or not also depends on what we adopt as our artistic frame of reference. Furthermore, single works of art or single artists can be ahead of the times in some respects but not in others. Turning again to language, I agree with Bergs and Kompa that competent speakers abide by the rules, which implies such language users also know (perhaps not always fully consciously) how to exploit in-built mechanisms that make them sound creative.