Gift, as a noun, has three reading paths. Gift as a verb means give something oluntarily and gratuitously. The significance of a gift is much more than the meaning of the object standing for a gift; it is given by the act of gift-giving. The gift-giving act is a social act similar in a way to a speech act. In this microsystem composed of giver, gift and receiver context plays a crucial role. Roughly, the gift-giving acts can be subdiveded into self-oriented and other-oriented. It seems that the global significance of a gift-giving act has two components: the conventional significance of the gift (of the object standing for a gift) and the contextual significance of the act of giving. The force of the act is determined by: context; the relation between giver and gift; the relation between gift and receiver.
