Words, Words, Everywhere are Words.

I love words…particularly examining their origin, common, and formal usage. Words are the source of great sadness, overwhelming joy, and out of control laughter. All these emotions from a few letters put in a particular order. Actually if you stop to examine words, phrases, even language you can see a whole social order coming from their use.All words have a particular meaning, and when I use this word I am including not only singular words, but phrases and even language .Add to a word a particular meaning, the choice of the word used, the context in which it is used, and even who and how the message is delivered and some very interesting things often occur.Here’s an interesting thought, let a gang of 5 year old girls loose in the kitchen with only one assignment: make a batch of cookies. Just imagine the varieties of chaos that simple command can ignite. Let’s take one phrase, live chat, and see the directions it can take us. If you have been following my blogs you know I have consistently used “live chat” in a specific context and have always attached a specific meaning to the term.Well, gosh, come to find out I have taken a very narrow interpretation of the phrase. As I began looking at other possible views of live chat, it really struck me: what a dumb term; is there any other type of chat other than live? Dead chat, I don’t think so. Now there may be someone somewhere reading this post who would say that they chat with the dead from time to time. Well, chat strongly implies a dialog and I would argue that very few are capable of maintaining a dialog with the dead.In this digital age we have rewritten or added words to the dictionary faster than at any time before us. In today’s world of Twitter, the increased use of slang, and in some cases even laziness, it is becoming increasingly difficult to place a singular definition on almost any word used.  Couple this criticism with an increased double meaning in our use of the word and the result? The use of a term that once meant one thing; but today it can mean many different things. Many of these words find them in direct conflict with each other. Here’s a few:

• The farm was used to produce produce.
• The dump was so full that it the results?had to refuse more refuse.
• We must polish the Polish furniture.
• He could lead if he would get the lead out.
• The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
• Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
• A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

See how many of the same terms you can think of that for some bring tears of joy, for others tears of sadness, and for yet others, laughter. Here is mine: wedding. For some, hopefully the bride, a wedding is joyful; say the same word to someone else, the person with a broken heart, and tears will flow. Then there’s the person who can only laugh when they imagine this particular couple getting married.Aw yes, the wonderful world of words. But with this one exception, don’t play with my favorite words: live chat.