Language …..
I love language. I can spend half an hour just checking the spelling of one word in a dictionary! I get fascinated about the other words I find on the way, on the same page, the words to describe it. Then there’s the thesaurus…….
You’re probably sitting there saying, ” What a nutter! Why doesn’t she use spell check? So much easier.”
Well there are a couple of reasons…..
Have you ever noticed that spell check or the thesaurus in the computer only has the average, mundane and most used words? I don’t like to use big words where smaller ones will say exactly what I want but sometimes the bigger, more unusual word says it better.
Stretching your vocabulary by reading is such a gift. Not only does it give you a better understanding of your own language, you can choose a plethora of genre in your reading material (now I’m just bragging using unusual little words!!). What I mean is, you have an amazing choice of subjects you can read about to learn more about what interests you, and when you want to read just for pleasure and relaxation you can choose books from biographies, science fiction, romance, murder, futuristic fantasy, the list goes on…..
My biggest reason for loving language is that it can change the world for you and the way you view yourself in it.
Have you noticed that there seems to be a serious depletion of the language of manners lately?A please, thank you or excuse me is so simple to say but it shows respect and acknowledgement. I have to say, some of my mother’s habits rubbed off when I was little and have stayed with me to this day. When I was teaching or caring for children (of any age) it was automatic to remind them about pleases and thank you’s in the hope that it would be embedded for future use!
It did became slightly embarrassing though when I would be standing waiting my turn to purchase something and I would instinctively remind the person in front of me to say please!!
And then there is that little voice in your head using the most emotive language you know to make you do, say or think whatever would be the easiest and/or the safest. Henry Ford said it best….. “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”
Whatever that little voice in your head is telling you, if you listen to it for long enough you will believe it.
I know that it’s easier said than done and takes an amazing amount of courage to do something you fear or fear failing at, but if you don’t try…… you’ll never know. And that would be really disappointing, wouldn’t it?
The other thing that language is wonderful for is changing your perception about how you view things. What if instead of seeing problems you saw challenges? What if instead of getting or giving constructive criticism you had constructive feedback?
What if instead of being angry you were a bit miffed?
What if when someone asks you how you are at the start of the conversations you say phantasmagorical? Or maybe simply fantastic?
Maybe it’s time to actually listen to the words you use to live your life by and see if they need a bit of a tweak. I know that ‘criticism’ hasn’t been part of my language for years. And a friend never has ‘problems’, he only ever has challenges.
What words would you change?
(PS – my favourite word is ‘lugubrious’. Don’t you just love the way it sounds?!? My youngest brothers favourite word is ‘salubrious’, my fathers ‘perspicacious’ and my Mother’s is ‘serpiginous’. You guessed it…… it runs in the family)
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