Words

Smooth as silk, quiet as a church mouse, and slicker than a greased pig.  Our language is a remarkable thing.  The images we paint with similies and the analogies we conjure must be made based on common understandings.   Without that common thread between writer and reader they are just nonsensical words strung together.  I know I am not the first to have these thoughts and probably most of what I will jot down truly originated with some teacher, mentor, or friend, but I think perhaps I shall play with these ideas anyway.

In a post-graduate communication class, offered in the solid, fundamentally faith-based, bricked confines of Abilene Texas, I learned about the links critical for effective, or at times ineffective communication.  If the sender transmits a message and the receiver does not have the tools necessary to decipher it then no matter how much the sender and receiver interact communication cannot occur.  We see clear examples of this everyday.  A mother with a new infant, at that stage Mom is not expecting to be understood but uses her voice to sooth and pacify.  Soon though, there is an expectation at least at the simple No!   How about between a Dad and his teenage son?  I think Charles Schultz’s Charlie Brown TV shows really captures that dialogue.  “Wa-wa, wa-Wa, Wa-wa, wa-wa, car, keys, wa-wa!”  Dealing with the differences in language can always be a challenge.  Try going to Paris with only English as an option.  I don’t think you will get the rewarding and enriching impressions of the “City of Lights” you would be expecting.  Of course speaking louder is always helpful.

One of the wonderful things about the English and a trait that shows a clear separation from the French is how the two societies have chosen to use and govern their language.  The French have the L'Académie française, established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, its 40 members are the authoritative source for the correct use of the language. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Académie_française).  The English have been much more “laisseza faire” in what is acceptable in the language.  Perhaps that is why America and Great Britain have been described as one people separated by a common language (Winston Churchill).  I think because of this singular difference English adapts and moves forward, while the French just sit there smug in their superiority.  English was the original Spanglish, taking words from wherever it needed it, bending them to suit the immediate need.   So what is my point?  Why do I ramble on about such an obvious thing?  Why am I asking so many questions?  Dude, ‘cause I can!

Actually I think we are at a crossroads in the evolution of our language and I fear I shall miss it when it is gone.  Much as schools are now starting to drop cursive writing as a requirement, the ability to spell, to structure a sentence into a complete thought, and use grammatical marks like: , ; “”.?! are all going by the wayside.  In fact waysides are going away too, or to, or two.  If you know me you would find my writing on this topic has to be viewed with deep irony.  In school I received D in English, Spanish, French (twice) and German.  I should be considered illiterate in four (or for) languages.

But as I move into my seventh decade, I’ve come to enjoy this language of mine.  I appreciate the ability to put into solid form those weird, but sometimes salient, thoughts swimming around the synapsis of my brain.  Thanks to spell check I can almost spell now.  Even though accusation will occasionally become acquisition or some such thing.

I hope that texting does not change the foundations I’ve come to depend on.  I hope hoe remains a hoe and does not become a whore.  I dread the day when bitch’n is universally understood as good, and I don’t want “my bad” to replace “my fault” as an apology, although I have had to adapt to be understood by the rest of the people I work with.

I would leave you with my blessing.  You get two choices

Option a:  May the firmer mints of heaven shine down on you, may the rising waters not overflow your levies, and may the dawn through yonder window brake on your fare continuance in the mourning.

Option b:  May heaven shine upon you, may the levees stand firm against the rising waters and may the morning sun shine brightly on your fair face.