The Observer, December 2, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12
The Right Stuff: "What are you doing with my language?" - an English guide
In 2002, Professor Gerd Byer, a former professor of German at Case, regarded my broken and painful use of the German language with amusement and asked: "What are you doing with my language?" Three years later, I turn this introspective question on the Case community. The longer I regard the development of American English, the greater my concern for its efficacy grows. American English is a wonderful language, and the bulk of the readers of this have been blessed with a native speaker's comprehension of the language. However, I find it troubling that native speakers often fail to realize the degree of power they have in dictating the use of the language. In that spirit, I ask that speakers of American English, or any language for that matter, consider the following points of language use:
Exercise your vocabulary. There is nothing wrong with demonstrating your recognition of diversity and compression of a language. Active variation indicates thoughtfulness and intelligence, traits members of a university community are wont to espouse. This request comes with a converse – specifically, asking speech partners to define unfamiliar words, or even familiar ones. Listeners or readers challenging my use of specific words has been one of the most effective learning tools.
Consider your pejoratives. The degree to which the use of "gay" and "asian" in denigrating ways pervades language use today is frightening. If language indeed reflects the mentality and sentiment of its speakers, then the gravitation of words that describe a person's sexual orientation or race towards negative connotation is a bad sign. Anyone who fails to see the irony of someone wearing a "gay? fine by me" t-shirt, and ranting about the "gay-ness" of receiving a parking ticket illustrates the disconnect between thought and action. The t-shirt represents the thought, whereas the use of gay in strictly negative contexts reflects a darker mindset.
"Thanks" is not a salutation. I find it confusing when I read an e-mail that contains requests, demands, or suggestions that make no attempt to express appreciation or acknowledgement of inconvenience, and are signed simply "thanks." Not only does this represent a word drifting from its previous use toward meaninglessness, it reflects cultural expectations the same way pejorative use of "gay" does. If expression of gratitude is merely an afterthought, something tacked on at the end of a conversation, at what point is it done away with altogether?
Cut out the particles, insert pauses. Americans seem to be obsessed with verbal noise. As a result, a word once used for comparison has become naught but a word-particle. Many writers now spurn use of "like" in favor of other comparison phrases due to the overuse of "like" and the degree of language comprehension its use represents. While use of "like" conjures the image of an adolescent whose mouth moves faster than their mind and inundates the listener with useless noise, pauses appear thoughtful and invite speech partners to participate in conversation.
Hold other speakers accountable. Accountability is the key to altering language use patterns. A column such as this only gets the ball rolling, however. One of the beauties of language use is its democratic nature. Every language user has the ability to contribute to the language and change how it is used, and every time it is used, the use of the language is reinforced and reshaped. Asking other English speakers to think about how they are using the language and pointing out misuse could completely curb the gradual drift of our language towards meaninglessness and undisciplined use.
