The rhetorics of play are not a set of truths but a set of ways of talking about play.

This line reflects an academic framing of play studies in which different scholarly or cultural perspectives describe play in distinct ways. It emphasizes that discussions of play often depend on the language and assumptions of the speaker rather than on a single definitive account of what play is.

The quote suggests that there is no single final definition of play. Instead, there are multiple interpretive lenses—each with its own vocabulary and priorities—that shape how people understand and debate play.