In competitive debate, a view of meaning as something that a team has a right to pre-select is inconsistent with Ludwig Wittgenstein's conception of meaning as use. The "language-linked value objection" rejects conventional value objection of identifying the negative consequences of taking a stance in the hypothetical world of the resolution. Instead, the language-linked approach focuses directly on the opponent's actual language practices. The approach mirrors Wittgenstein's theory of meaning as use. He rejected the notion of meaning as representation in favor of a focus on the function of language. What is most useful to a student of language is what function a word can serve, not a precise description of the word's phonology and grammar. Wittgenstein's perspective challenges the presumed ability to define words in isolation. The use of language is determined by rules and norms established by the overall society of language users. As such, term meaning is not a prerogative to be exercised in debate. Linking value objections to language by considering social use may lead to consideration of ideologies embedded in language forms, the ways in which language structures political thought, the "personas" created by various language styles, the cultural embeddedness of meaning, and other issues. (Twenty-four references are attached.) (SG)