Hello All,
I love the english language. I love that there are so many different ways to express one thought. I love that the process of putting one's thoughts down can be an art in itself. I can't even pretend to be in the same class as some of the talented and learned wordsmiths who inhabit this site (you know who you are) but you inspire me every day and I have fun with it. To that end I want to express my frustration with what I see as a deterioration in our language. There are always the minor irritants with otherwise smart educated people who mispronounce words. One of my favourites is "jewellery". The word is not "jooleree"! Then there is "realtor". The word is not "reelator"!! I also have a quibble with lazy speech. We have become so lazy or time strapped that we have to ask the question "Are you coming with?", coming with who? Me? Maybe we are going to go somewhere that will be "so fun", will that be anything like going somewhere that would be "so much fun"? Presumably the time saved from having to add those two little words will allow you more time to do something important like text. These are only my personal little bugaboos.
I feel there is a much more insidious deterioration in our language and that is in how some words have started to lose their meaning. The word "news" seems to one of the victims. News should be a factual, unbiased, unvarnished reporting of events. Unfortunately the existence of organizations like Fox News has made the meaning of the word unclear to many. How can you have "conservative news"? It's a contradiction in terms and yet many consider Fox News a reliable news source. It is if all you want to hear is the "news" that panders to your viewpoint. It is if you only want to hear the real news stories delivered with just the right amount of spin that so as not to offend your conservative sensibiities. We end up with people who think there is such a thing as "alternative facts"!!
Another victim is the word "truth". There is a huge campaign of very well-intentioned people out there urging us all to "live your own truth". There is no "your truth" or "my truth" there is only "the truth". What these people are trying to articulate is the desire to live their lives in a way that honours their own values and ideals. That is admirable and we should all do it, unfortunately it diminishes and devalues the meaning of the word "truth" to the point that it becomes meaningless.
I would love to hear others take on this subject.
Terry