A metalanguage is a language of a higher order which is capable of discussing propositions which are undecidable in the lower level language and of discussing the limitations and operations of lower level languages. The concept of a metalanguage is rooted in logic and its formal expressions. It has been extended in both directions: to mathematics where Kurt Godel's Incompleteness Theorem proved that in any given arithmetic there will be propositions that cannot be decided upon without recourse to a higher level arithmetic and to everyday language where it is expressed as paradox. For example in the classical paradox of the liar a Cretan announces to a stranger "all Cretans are liars". Any way this statement is interpreted in the standard language it is a puzzle.
Understanding the interaction of language and metalanguage is necessary when the **communications between subsystems** of a whole system are evaluated, when accommodation must be made to the needs and interests of **conflicting parties**, and when there is a **great deal of external uncertainty** which affects an operation. The employment of a metalanguage allows for **'Completion from Without' at a higher order of perception and logic**.
In psychology, the interaction of language and metalanguage has been studied in the phenomenon of the Double Bind where the individual finds him or herself caught trying to fulfill mutually exclusive demands. The command "be spontaneous" and the statements "a good child always obeys” and "a good child shows spirit and doesn't let people push too far" are **examples of personal situations which cannot be resolved without recourse to a higher level of language**.
**Confusion and misunderstanding** result when communications sent at one level of language are received and interpreted at another. In the story Being There by Jerry Kosinski, Chance, the gardener, becomes Chauncey Gardiner and his utterances about the growing season, the weather and the seasons are interpreted as profound statements about the state of the economy and society.
# SOURCE The word meta is a Greek word meaning what comes after or what lies beyond. It often indicates a change in the character of the topic under consideration, e.g. Aristotle's Physics and Metaphysics. See also chapter 8 in: Beer, S. (1959). Cybernetics and Management. London: English Universities Press. Chapters ten and sixteen in: Beer, S. (1966). Decision and Control. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
# EXAMPLES • the language in which an experiment is discussed by the experimenters in contrast with that employed by the subjects in the experiment • instances where the operations and limits of natural language are discussed in natural language • theories of mathematical proofs as opposed to individual proofs • the determination of a set of procedures, e.g. Robert's Rules of Order, as opposed to the operation of a meeting within the chosen framework of rules • in game theory, the language used to discuss rules or objectives over and beyond that of the game other players are playing
# NON-EXAMPLES • conflict between two parties which does not have recourse to resolution at a higher level of logic • communication which occurs within a system negotiations, after the terms have been set
# PROBABLE ERROR • mistaking a situation for a deadlock without **recognizing the undecidable nature of the questions** raised. • believing that parties agree when language and metalanguage are mixed
# SEE Metasystem; Recursion; Hierarchy; Self Reference; Observer