Monday 12 March 2007

VERBAL CRUTCHES



How are you at deciphering text messages?

I enjoy the fact that language is fluid and caters for every generation. Texting, I think is a great way of the young to alienate the older generation from conversations. If find this refreshing as there is nothing in this form of communication that is unnecessary, it is all vital, for example cu2n8, means exactly what it says. There are certain things about language though that isn't so attractive or necessary. There are certain words and phrases in common use that seem to have an ability to steal power,impact and punch from peoples speech.

THE CRUTCH OF THE MATTER
Ahs and ums in conversation is something we all do from time to time and these are known as verbal crutches. These fill spaces in the conversation whilst our brains catch up with our mouth. There are other filler words we use such as sos, ands and wells inserted as unnecessary fillers that end up making our points less clear, less powerful and less effective. It doesn't end there though there are plenty of other words that sap our speech. For example: Really. This word is often used as a modifier when another word would be better. "It was really cold" would be more interesting if the words"icy cold",or "bitterly cold" either of these would create a better image. Really then is usually used to underline particular words."The festival was really spectacular"of "the food was really delicious" Both of these statements would be stronger when stated simply as, "the festival was spectacular" or "the food was delicious"

PRETTY
Pretty good, pretty exciting, pretty wonderful, pretty amazing. Are these not the blandest expressions you have ever heard! Was it amazing or not! If it wasn't then what was it? -surprising, unusual, unexpected? The right word to describe the experience is the one to use. We need to know what it was, not what it almost was.

NICE
Without wanting to sound too much like a grumpy old man I will continue with my pet irritation, the word "nice". Nice has a tendency to keep the listeners at arms length by acting as a substitute for a specific detail. "She was a nice person" could mean anything from"she was compassionate,attentive and helpful"to "She didn't treat me nearly as badly as I had expected her to" Sort ofs and kind of can be powerful if use correctly. "I won't stand for that kind of treatment". More commonly though kind of and sort of give the impression that the speaker isn't particularly committed to what they are saying. "I felt sort of confused" leaves listeners wondering just how confused they were. Saying " I felt confused conveys the situation far better. Similarly "I felt kind of angry" gives the impression of being half hearted even though it probably isn't meant like that. Sort of and kind of ( as well as really and pretty) are also used as fillers when the speaker is struggling to find the right word "I felt.....kind of strange"for example. Compare this to "I felt....strange" The second statement grabs the attention more powerfully and the puse creates a dramatic effect, you just have to be brave enough to have a pause.

Just is also another word that could be used effectively as in "The arrow just missed the mark" Used carelessly though this innocent little word can take away meaning to your sentences. "I just want to say...." or "I just feel....." I inserted in a sentence like this weakens what you have to say. "I want to say" or "I feel" says it all without having to add "just'' At times I know I use words such as these because subconciuosly I am trying to fend off imagined critisism, aviod confrontation or defend my own anxiety. The reasult is that thew words lack power and authority. " I just want to say" really means " excuse me for opening my mouth and I might be wrong, but if I could just have your attention for a minute.."


MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT
It's important to make every word count in conversation ( and writing for that matter!) and if this is done in a texting manner than that's OK with me. Although I know an English teacher who would strongly disagree. Cutting out unnecessary words like "kind of" would be a start though. Imagine how flimsy Marin Luther Kings speech would have been if he started by saying "I have a kind of dream!" Or how Neil Armstrong's; “This is one pretty nice step for a man, erm,just one good leap for mankind.
Environmental

DID YOU KNOW?


Here is the beginning of a list that covers all sorts of useless information. It is destined to get longer as I delve into 6 years worth of articles!

Glass is a liquid. After approximately 10 years a window will be thicker at the bottom than at the top.

'Coca-Cola' translates to Chinese as 'Bite the wax tadpole'

Cut an onion in half and rub it on the sole of your feet. An hour later you will taste onion in your mouth.

Why do we clink glasses when we 'cheers' someone before drinking? Because in mediaeval times they would clash glasses so that liquid from each glass would spill into one another's glass & prove that both were drinking with good will and not to poison each other!

Remove a dint from a carpet by placing an ice cube in a spoon and resting it in the dint. It'll spring back up.

If you mouth the word 'colourful' to someone, it looks like you are saying 'I love you'!

A 'chicken tarka' curry is similar to a 'chicken tikka' only 'otter.

Spiral staircases are anti clockwise to make defending from above easier with a sword and attacking from below extremely difficult if right handed. Thus left-handed swordsmen were paid a premium.

There is more salt in a bowl of corn flakes than there is in a packet of ready salted crisps

The expression 'eaves dropping' comes from when houses had a gap between the eaves and the wall. From outside internal sounds appeared to 'drop' from the eaves.

Squeezing hard on the fleshy joint between your thumb and hand for a few minutes will relieve a headache. This area is a pressure point that releases endorphins (happy signals) in the brain and knocks out the painful effects of the headache!

AND FINALLY
A man went into a fancy dress party with his girlfriend on his shoulders. His friend said, “What have you come as?” He replied, “A snail and this is Michelle”
Household-environmental

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