Calling language “the substrate” implies it is not merely a tool but the medium in which thought and coordination occur. Ludwig Wittgenstein’s *Philosophical Investigations* (1953) argues that meaning is rooted in use; similarly, a team’s vocabulary, naming conventions, and definitions determine what is even discussable without confusion.
As a result, the health of a project often depends on linguistic discipline: consistent terminology, clear models, and precise statements. Once that substrate is stable, the group can move from debating words to shaping durable structures that those words describe. [...]
