On Linguistics #It'sOn

Have you ever been struck by a language purist? The kind so rigid, they think there's only a limited space to maneuver, in a manner of speaking. They are here, in a self-appointed capacity, to defend the veracity of speech, ensure its "correct" meaning? I remember having a somewhat heated argument with a friend visiting from London, England over the warning on the sign in our building's elevator, which cautioned against "lighted cigarettes." In that special brand of disdain she reserves for Americanisms, she said "surely it is "lit", not lighted". And then ensued our usual "American" versus "English" debates that always got under my skin and felt as if I was fighting for the honor of my country and countrymen solo. No pressure. We would even sometimes veer into French, but we were both non-native speakers, so we would abandon it pretty quickly. I considered her a word nazi. Which reminds me of my middle school English teacher, Mrs. Hampton from South Hampton. No relation. That was a joke. Lest you think I am British, I am not. But I did grown up moving countries a lot so it gets dicey sometimes. Mrs. Hampton had a go at me over my usage of the phrase "the sun was on top of my head like spilled orange juice."  I think the lesson was similes and metaphors. She did not get it and it seemed to have offended her delicate English sensibilities. Oscar Wilde was a favorite. But he was no delicate English rose. Anyways, anyways. To be fair,in Arabic, this expression makes sense. In fact, it is a common turn of phrase across many Arabic speaking countries.  I was still "new" to English since I was a recent gradate from a course on English as a Second Language (ESL).  I was in the habit of translating from Arabic to English,as you do when trying on your spanking new adopted tongue like a new set of wheels. But that idiom translated literally into English sounded odd to her. Not to me. I still stand by what I wrote all these years later. There is an entire book on the fact that we "live in metaphors." We are repetitive, rehearsed, and pedantic. We also speak in templates, a sort of "fill-in-the-blank" meme containers where we slot in the operative words as tropes for wit and cleverness. It is a trap of the zeitgeist, a sign of the times. There is a way to sound like you are from a bygone era, quaint and most likely eloquent. And another to be painfully hip, so "du jour" you are on the bleeding edge of culture. So how do you break the cycle? How can you become an original? I read somewhere that the more languages you know, the more "intelligent" you are (supposedly) because it promotes new modes of thinking. A breaking of the cultural mold, if you will. One idea I have been flirting with for years is the fact that to move language forward, one has to "invent" new words or lines of reasoning. But first, you need a solid foundation. To break the rules, first you have to know the rules. Really well. Really, really well. Then you can riff off the script to the "unbeaten path". People will intuitively grasp your deeper meaning, the hidden message. The untenable, the ambiguous "state of the soul" you are trying to convey. Do you know your favorite saying, your crutch, your handicap? Can people "identify" you through a series of sentences? Mine is "vive la difference." When language moves forward in this manner, by coining new expressions, you tap into an inner sanctum, one that most people don't even know exists. They are surprised by it, caught off guard, completely unawares. It is a beautiful thing to experience, maybe even life affirming. That's how much we long to be understood. We yearn to be known at a fundamental level. Such is the power and glory of words. Language is our humanity's base layer, It shapes how we view the world, how we exist in the here and now. Words have the power to change us in just one instant, one moment. I remember where I was when I heard the expression "switched on", spoken about a colleague who is quick-minded. I wanted to be switched on, I thought. I remember falling instantly in love with the turn of phrase, a "relationship in sips" about star-crossed lovers in Chimamanda's book, "Half a Yellow Sun." A book about the real life war fought over the power of the purse, this time in Nigeria. Bitcoin fixes this. The words you speak are a seminal part of your identity, your core, your being. Socrates  says to "know thyself." The words you speak, are who you are. Make them kind, make them beautiful, make them saturated and dripping with meaning. Then the world will be a better place with you in it.