You've probably been scolded once or twice when you used the word "hate" in a scenario where you could have simply used "dislike". "Hate is a strong word" those people would say, and I was one of them, trying to hold on to the meaning which came with that word. Sadly, that is actually incorrect. "Hate" is no longer a strong word. Each time we used it improperly, it became a little more mellow, until, no matter what the dictionary might tell you, it devolved into a synonym for "dislike". So now when we come into situations where we need to profess a strong detestment of something, we have to scrounge around for other words, if we can find them at all.
I think that part of it is that as a society, we want to use strong words all the time in normal conversation. Take "hell". It has taken the place of a swear word, or we use it as a comparison to things we don't like very much. But truly, when we think about the word and all that in entails, those things are nothing like eternal damnation in writhing agony. The one time that I can understand the use of the word is when it describes war. And not by someone like me, but someone who actually experienced war as a soldier on the front lines. Someone who actually knows about the horrors of war first hand. Those people can say "war is hell", and they are not swearing or making the word lose meaning. But really, even in this situation, hell is much more awful than anything we can experience here on Earth, even if war is the closest thing.
But what about other words that we in America use on a regular basis, such as human feces? Honestly, especially for us teenagers, is there truly ANYTHING in our lives which happens to us personally which bring to mind the disgustingness and sheer primitiveness of human feces? If you answer yes, unless you have a very good explanation, you probably aren't being honest with yourself. And even if you are, I doubt that such things are so common that they happen everyday that they warrant the use of such words. Truly, the vast majority of us live pretty cushy lives here in America, even in the good times. We honestly are not worthy to use words which hold a certain rawness that we have never experienced.
Negative words are not the only ones that can lose meaning though. What about positive words? Consider the word "awesome". I myself use it quite regularly, but I've heard of people who refuse to use the word "awesome" unless they are referring to something which truly is worthy of our awe, such as God. I know that it is these days merely the equivalent of "especially cool", but what if instead it was reserved, or set aside for our creator? Wouldn't "Our God Is An Awesome God" hold so much more meaning if we weren't referring to someone who is just pretty cool, but instead the One who is worthy of our praise?
I would say that many of these "strong words" come into this commoner usage more as a form of hyperbole than actual literal meaning. Because language is constantly evolving, it's natural for the meaning of words in conversation to change over time to reflect this usage. Trust me- I'm a linguistics major.
ReplyDeleteAlso, poop is a part of life. It's not really all that disgusting, it's just your body's way of processing the parts of food that it can't digest. Trust me- my roommate is a bio major.
It is rather sad, isn't it? I notice this most often with the words love, need, gay, and impossible. Sometimes I doubt America's ability as a whole to construct a legitimate sentence, let alone use a word correctly. As humans, we can hardly comprehend what true love is, and now we have 13 year olds saying it to their boyfriends of two days (which they really shouldn't have in the first place). When I think of things this way, I don't expect anyone to respect the words they use.
ReplyDeleteIt's also true that poop, being a bodily function from the opposite end, shouldn't remind you of anything you consume. Nor should you say so unless you actually took the time to eat it. Even if you say something like, 'This situation is crap', it doesn't make sense. I mean, why couldn't you just say, 'This isn't fair!', or 'This is really bad...'?
I think part of it is the education system, the other part is the laziness of the youth. If they don't have the will to remedy an incorrect use of words, nobody is giving them the will to. Some of it is a lack of thought.. people seldom think before they talk anymore.
Oh, and this is Anna. :) I would have used my wordpress username, but it escapes me because I sign in with my email address. Whoops.
I don't know if I would necessarily call the phenomenon sad, per se. Coming at it purely from a linguistic standpoint, initially one of the most difficult things for me to get over was the fact that grammars can be fluid from group to group. So as much as I'd like to tell you that using a double negative is absolutely a horrendous practice and reflects poorly upon the intelligence of its user, that person actually is following the rules of a grammar perfectly. They're just using a different one than is prescribed.
ReplyDeleteIn the same way, yes, I agree that people are using these words in ways that do not completely affix themselves to the printed dictionary definition. And no, I don't think that it's necessarily wrong.
The reason why we can compare life experiences to fecal matter is because when we say those words we are no longer using them in the literal manner. They have taken on a new meaning thus rendering them suitable for forming these sorts of sentences. You are certainly capable of substituting another word or phrase if it makes you feel more comfortable, but this also changes the connotation of your message.
Perhaps it's something to do with the education system, perhaps it's just a generation adding their own touch to the grammar pool.