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.."
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.
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