Warning: No Explicit Language

I have a very strong love for language, its study, and its use. That may sound strange since my grammar (particularly spelling) can be sub par at times. I don't think you have to be good at something to enjoy studying it. Just look at sports. I first realized this interest in language when I took a course by Dr. Mark Damen (a professor I've mentioned before) My first year of college I took his CLAS 1100 - Latin and Greek Elements in English class. It introduced me to basic linguistics, etymology, metaphor, and the basic skills of breaking words apart to see how they work.

One of my favorite examples is the word "conspiracy." Break it apart and you get "con-" with, "spir" > breath, "-acy" > quality of being or having -> the state of breathing with someone. How does that lead to "a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful?" This is where metaphor comes into play. The Romans were paranoid. If they saw two people speaking so quietly that their words couldn't be heard - two people who appeared to be breathing together - they immediately thought it was a plot. Interestingly enough in the book Dinotopia the word they use for marriage has the same prefix and base so in Dinotopia a conspiracy would be the same "the state of being married." Culture can change everything.

With that in mind I want to examine that part of language commonly referred to as swearing. Also known as profanity, cursing, explicit language, or simply as being rude, crude, and uncouth. It is the part of language that is considered impolite, improper, uncivilized, low brow, and, of course, rude crude and uncouth. Dr. Damen did give an (optional) lecture on the history of swearing as part of the CLAS 1100. Some words have always been considered inappropriate for general usage. Many gained their unacceptable status through (literal) profanity. In a religious society it is inappropriate to misuse the divine, such as in a casual or disrespectful manner - i.e. to profane. It's no wonder that much the language that is considered offensive are religious references. Those that aren't tend to be references to things considered private, intimate, or distasteful. Discussing or referencing such things overtly and in crude terms is against our natural propriety. This leads us to Dr. Damen's rule of mean - once a word takes on a sexual connotation or meaning previous meanings are no longer valid.

Moving past the origins of English/American swearing, the question as to "why" swearing is a compelling one. That society has a higher tolerance for swearing is blatantly clear by examining our consumed media. Some argue that full language is a beautiful thing, or that we do a disservice by censoring profane, inappropriate or explicit language. Doesn't the first amendment grand the freedom of speech? Doesn't that mean that we can use whatever language we desire to express ourselves? Those are valid questions, but I think the question that is more important is "should you use such language?"

Yes. People have the right to talk in whatever way they choose and reap the consequences there of. Many people don't understand, or underestimate the power of language. Language conveys something about the speaker. A prime example is Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. His first work on stage was considered one of the worst words to be spoken in public. It immediately told the audience what type of character he was. What kind of language you use demonstrates how you think. Ben Jonson is attributed with saying, "Language most shows a man, speak that I may see thee." Spencer W. Kimball expressed that profanity specifically was "the effort of a feeble brain to express itself forcibly." There are far better ways to express yourself then using language (or any action) that is offensive to others - unless you are trying to be offensive. In which case you shouldn't be offended if people choose not to associate with you. 

The power of language

I heard this story on the news this week and was reminded of the power of words. While the article is about the gun control - sorry, correction - the gun violence prevention debate the arguments that some words have "baggage" is nothing new. Any person who has put together a survey has had to make sure that their language is neutral to the topic or be accused of being biased. Lawyers choose their words carefully both to explain as well as to expose people actions. You can even look into the mind games of dating and relationships to find that there are many ways to say the same thing, but they all mean something different.

So, how powerful is language?

The playground chant of, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" taunts language, saying that they it is harmless and weak.

However, according to Wikipedia the idea that, "the pen is mightier than the sword" has been around since the 6th century BC (see "Predecessors" in the article) and has been widely accepted as a valid statement in most situations.

Granted, Mark Twain said in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, "Words are only painted fire. The look is the fire itself."

So perhaps it is not language, but the place, time, and way that it is used. That would certainly support the argument in the article - the way something is said is as important as what is being said. We have only to look towards the great convention known as Sarcasm to validate that. It is a way to say words that makes them mean the exact opposite to what the actual words say.

And let's not forget the power of lying. This was used to great effect in WWII to mislead Nazi Germany about the location of the D-Day invasion. It is the backbone of the intelligence community (CIA, MI6, FSB, etc.) And don't forget about the word prevaricate. You are not telling an actual lie, but the intent is to mislead. My favorite was a headline from the Soviet Union. "USSR places second in international competition. US finishes second to last." Their were only two participants. We could also look at: rumor, gossip, and calumny. And don't forget propaganda, marketing, and censorship. All of these are language based attacks or controls that are used everyday by people all over the world produce a desired effect within or to someone or a group of people. Words can be very powerful.

So this leads me to a word that I've been musing over for a couple of years. It's a word I use very carefully and I think about it a lot before saying it. The word is "but". What is the significance of this word, I hear you ask. Look at how it is used both in literature and in your own language. In almost every example of the word "but" the main focus of the thought is what is said after it. That is because "but" basically said, "every thing I've said before now is insignificant." Think about it. If some said, "I love you, but..." It doesn't make a difference how much they love you, it is clearly not sufficient to overcome whatever doubt they have. Another - "You deserved to win, but...." Even the phrase, "There was no action but to run." could be said without the but simply by dropping the first phrase and saying, "I had to run." or even "I ran."

Now I am not advocating removing "but" from your language all together. Nor am I saying it does not have it's uses in the examples I've given. What I do want to point out is what it means to the person hearing it. In meeting with students for my job, I occasionally have to give someone bad news. Their grades are too low and they are being suspended. Because they failed a class they will lose their scholarship. Those kinds of things. Often times they students have gone through a very challenging time and were simply stretched too far in too many directions by events beyond their control. I have had students in tears in my office as they lay out their struggles, efforts, and failures. If I were to say, "You gave it everything you had, but the policy states..." It doesn't matter what the policy states - I am dismissing their efforts as insignificant. They weren't good enough. Whenever I find myself in these situations I always try to separate my words about their efforts from the negative consequences. "You gave it everything you had. The policy states..." Now it does matter what the policy states because I have acknowledged their past efforts, now they are prepared to move into the future.

There are plenty of times I use "but" when talking with people. It sets up contrast. It takes old known information and updates it with new relevant information. Continue to use it, but be aware of what it can mean. Like I've heard in every sexual harassment prevention training - it's not the intent of the language but the impact that is important. "But" is one of those words that can have an unknown impact.

Scones and Biscuits. Water and Hell.

I was listening to Grammar Girl's "Quick and Dirty Tips" podcast this morning (episode 355) and she was talking about subject-object usage. The subject being the person/object that is the instigator of the action (verb) upon whatever the object is. So, "I threw the ball" involves "I", the subject, "throwing", verb, "the ball", object. While you can tell that spelling is not always my best skill and I have a tendency to think faster than I type (i.e. I occasionally drop words on accident) I enjoy language and how it works and flows. However, English grammar for me did not start to make sense until I studied Russian. I started in 10th grade and eventually minored in it. My teachers talked about subject, verb, object, indirect object, gerunds, imperatives, post predicates, etc. and unless I learned what the blazes those were in English I did not know how to use them in Russian. I'll be honest, I like Russian grammar than English grammar. It is a lot more structured yet maintains some great freedoms of expression.

It's curious how American English has formed over the years. I had a linguistics class my fresman year, "Latin and Greek Elements in English" taught by the wonderful Dr. Mark Damen. I describe his lectures as going to a stand up comedy about Greek tragedy. I almost fell out of my desk one day from laughing so hard in his class. In addition to being a very humorous professor, he is also very thought provoking and I consider him one of the best instructors I ever had. He had a lecture on "American English" in this class and the biggest thing I took away from the class was in language, just like biology, separation breeds new species. If you take two microbes that are initially identical, and separate them in different environments you will eventually end up with two differ species of microbe. We are not taking about trans-species evolution, but simple adaptation. The same is true of languages.

English is a wonderful example of this because the British Empire spread the language everywhere. You have British English, Australian English, Indian English, American English, African English, and even Engrish (although that is due to bad translations more than long time development). Not only do these groups speak with different articulation, and use words differently but also some have words that others don't. Several years ago my wife and I were at a restaurant for dinner. Behind me, in the next booth over, there was a couple from the British Isles as we could tell from their speech. Not being able to help it we heard their exchange with the waitress when she came to take their order...

Guest: "Excuse us, but what is a Navajo Taco?"
Waitress: "It's got beans, and lettuce, and hamburger on a scone."
Guest: "Oh, you mean a biscuit. We know that what we call scones, you call biscuits."
Waitress: "No, it's not on a biscuit. It's on a scone."
Guest: (pause) "So, what's a scone?"

I can't remember the reply, but I do remember smiling at the confusion of both parties. The waitress probably didn't think anything else in the world could be called a scone and the guests were amazed that even with their preparation, the language barrier had still managed to rear it's ugly head.

So, remember, as you travel and learn new languages, or different versions of your native one, Just expect to put your foot in your mouth at least once. For my part, I managed to change, "Would you like me to boil (some) water?" into "Would you like me to burn in Hell?" As soon as I said it, I realized what I had said. To his credit, my friend replied, "Would you like me to answer that questions?"