Ineffability is concerned with
ideas that cannot or should not be expressed in spoken words (or language in general), often being in the form of a
taboo or incomprehensible term. This property is commonly associated with
philosophy,
aspects of existence, and similar concepts that are inherently "too great", complex, or abstract to be adequately communicated. In addition,
illogical statements, principles, reasons, and arguments may be considered intrinsically ineffable along with
impossibilities, contradictions, and paradoxes. Terminology describing the nature of
experience cannot be properly conveyed in
dualistic symbolic language; it is believed that this knowledge is only held by the individual from which it originates.
Profanity and
vulgarisms can easily and clearly be stated, but by those who believe they should not be said, they are considered ineffable. Thus, one method of describing something that is ineffable is by using
apophasis, i.e. describing what it is
not, rather than what it
is. The architect Le Corbusier described his design for the interior of the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp as "l'espace indicible" translated to mean 'ineffable space', a spiritual experience which was difficult to describe.