But the thing you learn is not the word 'purple'. You just use the word as the mental scaffolding to build a concept of purple. The word forms a linkage to a deeper embedding, which is further proven by the fact that it's actually slightly different in each mind that has understanding of the concept.
This embedded concept is what is doing the work, the word was just the seed of the understanding and a method by which to convey that understanding to others.
This embedded concept is what is doing the work, the word was just the seed of the understanding and a method by which to convey that understanding to others.