The Lacanian Subject: Between Language and Jouissance

The Other as language is assimilated by most children (autistic children are the most notable exception to the rule) as they attempt to bridge the gap be- tween inarticulate need that can only cry out and be interpreted for better or for worse, and the articulation of desire in socially understandable, if not accept- able, terms. The Other, in this sense, can be seen as an insidious, uninvited intruder that unceremoniously and unpropitiously transforms our wishes; it is, however, at the same time that which enables us to clue each other in to our desires and “communicate.”