We Sure Talk Funny

Have you ever thought about some of the things Americans say? It is no wonder our language is so hard to learn.

When you go to the bathroom, do you always take a bath? What about public bathrooms?Hmm. Maybe you go to the rest room, instead, where you lie down and take a nap!

How about "Making a meatloaf is a piece of cake"? Talk about confusing! Are we talking about the entree or the desert?

Winning first prize was a walk in the park. A walking contest? What?

Can you imagine trying to learn English as a second language? American idioms are very confusing for foreign students.

I once tutored foreign students in college and they struggled to keep up. One student told me it took at least an hour to read each page of his text book!

And in Spanish class we learned that "Don't by a cat for a hare," the the equivalent of our "Don't buy a pig in a poke."

So, yeah, we talk funny. What are some you use?

Do You Say What You Think?

Or do you think what you say? And does it matter?

There is a lot in the news these days about who said what and how they said it. It is a time when we really need to pay attention  to what we say AND what we think. 

I often wonder if the people in the media, or elsewhere even, really think about what they say. I mean, when it seems ridiculous, when it doesn't really make sense, or when it is quite outrageous I have to wonder if they really believe what they are saying. Or do they even listen to themselves at all?

I've always been a lover of words. I like learning where they came from and what they mean. I was an English major in undergraduate school and have been a writer most of my adult life. So words are especially important to me. And I know that not everyone cares that much about our language. But language is a powerful thing.

Did you know there are 7000 languages around the world? 7000! And they don't all work the same way. It is often  difficult, if not impossible, to translate word for word. Words that are common in our language don't exist in other languages. Do you wonder how that is possible?

Well, it is because words are ideas, concepts. And if that concept doesn't exist in another language they don't have a word for it. Or something we have only one word for would, in another language, have several words for it - like snow. Eskimos have a variety of words for snow because snow is so much more important in their lives.

So maybe we should be more aware of exactly what we do think or believe and then choose more exact words to convey that. And let's also be aware that what words we use are shaping what we think. Listen to what others say and determine if they really think and believe what they say or are they just being careless with the language.

What do you think?

If you are really interested in this subject you might enjoy the TED talk below:

What Have We Got to Lose?

Clarity is slipping away with the loss of our language, our lack of care for the words we use. By limiting one's vocabulary we lose the subtle differences in similar-meaning words. Slippage in subject verb agreement, misplaced apostrophes, all of these reduce the clarity of our language.

Text messaging has eroded concern for spelling and punctuation, training millions of users to trade precision for speed. It always amazes me how many people don't differentiate "there", "their", and "they're."  I find myself using BTW for "by the way," as well as other kinds of shorthand for words.

This slippage of language also reduces the range of allusion. Those who have not read widely won't understand many allusions, such as "Luddite" and "sacrificial lamb." How many know the meaning of the phrase "in the catbird seat"?

Fewer and fewer Americans take Latin or Greek and are therefore unaware of the etymological layers of meaning that enrich words we use - like the relationship of "fabulous" and "fable." Yet "fabulous" is used almost as commonly in our speech as commas! (And, of course, there are those who don't use commas or use them incorrectly.)

Even questionable useage becomes common, like war language to describe healing, sports, and work. Little wonder that the idea of war has less emotional impact than it deserves.

Sarcasm, mild insults and ironic banter replace story or sustained conversation. It is easier to be sarcastic than to express what we think and feel. We don't bother to explore what is really meant by it.

Jargon divides us into us-and-them, destroying conversation with those "others" who aren't part of "us", the experts jargon separates us, that keeps us from understanding. This is true of all manner of specialties.

"We need the instruction and precise understanding that scholars and experts can provide. We need, a a public hoping to be an informed citizenry, to hold them accountable by demanding from our publicly funded institutions information and instruction that is both precise and accessible. The best of our astrophysicists, neuroscientists, and social theorists can rise to the challenge. 'Accessible' is not the same as 'dumbed-down.'"*

Silence in modern life is rare. Much of it is drowned out by words, song, written words, mindlessly used like disposable products used to buffer the discomfort of thought or the "strenuous spirituality" of silence. Imagine moments when there are no sounds that are not part of nature - no sound of traffic, of electronics, of clocks, or machines of any kind. What do you do in the silence?

In all of this wasting away of our language, where are those who love words? These ar those who can be good stewards of our language. Cherish it for its "beauty, precision, power to enhance understanding, power to name, power to heal." Do you have a favorite turn of phrase or quote that just the sound of it brings you joy?

 Listen for meaning and clarity in the words of others. Strive to be more precise in your own choice of words. Use words as instruments of love. Value language as a national treasure.

Don't litter!

*Quotes and most thoughts are from Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, by Marilyn McEntyre.

Are You at a Loss for Words?

I seldom am, as you can probably guess. But our current culture is at risk of losing words. And words are a valuable resource. When a culture looses its language it looses its identity, its history, its wisdom.

Did you know that there are more than a million words in the English language? How many different words do you use in a day, in a week - writing or speaking? The average educated person in america uses only about 200 a week! [ Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, by Marilyn McEntyre.]

(Yes, that's what I'm reading now. My summer reading is usually more non-fiction than fiction. And in the winter/dark months I read more fiction. So a little light reading for summer doesn't work for me.:-) This post is based on what I've read so far. Probably the next post will provide more insight into this topic.

Let's look at some facts about English speaking Americans:

• 50% of the unemployed are functionally illiterate;
• an average kindergartner has spent more house in front of T.V. (5,000 hours) than it takes to earn a BA degree! Researchers found a direct causal relationship between early T.V. watching and impaired literacy.
• 27% of army enlistees can't read training manuals written at the 7th grade level.
• other studies of 21-25 year olds shoed that 80% couldn't read a bus schedule, 73% couldn't understand a newspaper story, 63% couldn't follow written map directions, and 23% couldn't find the gross pay-to-date on a paycheck stub.
• 44% of all American Adults do not read a single book in the course of a year.

So, what can we do to maintain a usable and reliable language - to be good stewards of words? Above all, we have to acknowledge the value of language. It needs to be a constant focus at all age groups.

Then we have to: 1) deepen and sharpen our reading skills; 2) cultivate habits of speaking and listening that foster precision and clarity; and 3) practice poesis - to be makers and doers of the word. For these purposes we need regularly to exercise the tongue and the ear: to indulge in word play, to delight in metaphor, to practice specificity and accuracy, to listen critically and refuse cliches and sound bites that substitute for authentic analysis. 

While we who voluntarily and regularly read books, newspapers, and Bibles are a privileged group, we need to use that privilege for the sake of the whole. One way we can make the world better is to participate in preserving and enlarging our English language.

So today, pay attention to the words you speak or write and try for more precise and clear terms. In these times, especially, the English language in America can use some rigorous clarity.

Yes, as I read this book (Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies, by Marilyn McEntyre) I'll be sharing more thoughts from it in the next post.

Stay tuned!