Mind your language
Words fill our minds, capture our hearts, and help us reveal our innermost thoughts. But words don’t always mean the same thing to all people. The level of the words we use dictates how we are perceived whether good or bad.“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind,” said author Rudyard Kipling. I think this has a great deal of truth to it. How else do we feel loved or important?
Language is so valuable and important in everything we do and say. For the first time in my 70-some years, I have heard words coming from the leaders of our country that shock and dismay me, but that is another story.
Sometimes, it can be enjoyable to throw in a few $50 words to wow the people listening. They may have no idea what it means. Just make sure the meaning of the word is correct and is being used properly. There is nothing worse that misuse of a fancy word. Provenance is a good example and has a very specific use.Some words come into vogue over time, but don’t stay too long or are content specific. This past year saw a plethora ($50 word) of vocabulary that may not make it to the end of 2018. These are not new words or phrases but have been used in excess to the point of ad nauseam. Examples include progressive, socialist, conservative, liberal, surveilled (which is a proper form but sounds strange), taxes, nuclear, fake, resigned, failing, tweets, probes, leaks, firings, fraud, voting, irregularities, etc.
Expressions also will take us off guard, such as “take a knee.” For those who grew up Roman Catholic, this has special meaning. We take a knee when we enter the church and when we leave (genuflecting in and out of the pew), and also we kneel for more of the service than we either sit or stand, and we even kneeled for communion in my earlier years. We consider it respectful in the most reverent way.
On another level, four-letter words often put us in situations we often don’t want. These words take the conversation in a downward spiral nose dive very quickly, making it hard to recover or come back to a level field. The answer is don’t use them out loud. Maybe use them when we are alone or silently in the mind. Years of teaching school taught me to never let these words leave my lips. There would be “hell” to pay otherwise --- word is used intentionally here. Believe me, I use them, but I try to keep it clean around the grandkids or when I just meet someone.
Talking to grandkids is another level–-short sentences that be answered with grunts and groans – are about all we can manage in between messaging and photos on social media. If we can get them to look up briefly, we are doing well. A text message often gets the fastest reply.
Grown children are not much better at times. They are so busy that words have to be important and to the point. Be careful of word choice because it can be taken a different way than what is intended.
Talking to grandkids is another level–-short sentences that be answered with grunts and groans – are about all we can manage in between messaging and photos on social media. If we can get them to look up briefly, we are doing well. A text message often gets the fastest reply.
Grown children are not much better at times. They are so busy that words have to be important and to the point. Be careful of word choice because it can be taken a different way than what is intended.
Degrees of meaning is also crucial. The best, top of the line, the only one are examples that can get us in trouble. To prove something is one of the above is very difficult and often subjective. I learned when I was reporting and editing to rarely use the absolutes. One of the first, one of the top (you get my drift) or something similar is much safer and more accurate.
Maybe I am being too cautious but it is extremely difficult to properly communicate using the American version of the English language. Try talking to someone from the United Kingdom -- meaning as well as pronunciation are almost like a foreign language.
Maybe I am being too cautious but it is extremely difficult to properly communicate using the American version of the English language. Try talking to someone from the United Kingdom -- meaning as well as pronunciation are almost like a foreign language.
My advice as we head into 2018 is to learn new words, use them sparingly, and be careful with phrasing thoughts, questions, and ideas. The person on the other side of the conversation may get an entirely different meaning than what is intended. A recent conversation with our six-year-old grandson brought joy to our hearts as he exclaimed that he didn’t have school the day after New Year’s so we could extend our visit one more day. That may not sound that exciting, but to us it was golden, and he had just the right words to convey a heartfelt message!
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