by Thomas Kando
This piece is not another complaint about PC newspeak. We all know what’s happened to language over the past few decades, due to the inane requirements of political correctness:
It began with ethnic labels - “Negro” became out, “Black” became in, then “African-American” became even more in. “Oriental” also became taboo, as did “Mohammedan” and countless other labels. Later, other categories had to be re-labeled, including the genders, and all sorts of physical conditions. This soon became the topic of jokes by people like George Carlin.
If we must rename the “physically handicapped” “differently able,” then why not refer to “balding” as “follicle regression,” refer to a bad dancer as “overly Caucasian,” call a woman “verbally repetitive” instead of a nag, or refer to women as “breasted Americans” instead of, God forbid, babes or chicks.
But there is also faddish newspeak in less politically charged areas of the lexicon. Suddenly, a word becomes very popular. And even though it has become a new craze, there is little or no gain in meaning. This is what I want to illustrate today. Here are some examples:
1. The word “algorithm,” as in: “Professor Smith has an algorithm to figure out which is the best soccer team in the world.”This has become a popular word, especially with anyone fascinated by computer technology, i.e. 80% of the population.Meaning? A method or procedure to solve a problem. This is exactly the definition of the old word “formula.” That word has worked well for me for the past 50 years, so I’ll stick with it.
2. To “deconstruct,” as in: “The author deconstructs the motives of his story’s hero.”This is one of the post-modernists’ favorite words (post-modernists are people who feel that they are the intellectual vanguard).Meaning? To examine the detailed workings of something. Well, in my day, we called this “to analyze.” Once again, there is little difference between the old word and the new word. At best a difference in nuance.
3. “Icon,” as in: “Singer so-and-so is a true icon in the firmament of modern rock stars.”Nowadays, “icon” and “idol” are used practically interchangeably. That’s understandable, since they both mean: A highly admired person. Again, while “icon” has recently almost totally replaced “idol,” there is no added meaning.
4. “Amazing,” as in: “We took a trip to India. It was amazing!”Today, everything is “amazing.” Someone is interviewed on TV about a recent experience or a meeting with a celebrity, and everything is always “amazing.” Meaning: Wonderful; Great. Etc.
5. “Inappropriate,” as in: “His comments were inappropriate.” This word is used for anything you don’t agree with, but cannot call an outright lie or obscenity. It simply means: “Wrong,” or: “I don’t agree,” or: “I don’t like what you are saying.”
6. “Journey,” as in: “My college graduation was the end of an exciting journey...”Everything has become a “journey.” Another very popular word nowadays, another word which doesn’t add meaning to earlier synonyms such as “experience.”
My point, then, is simple: just because a word is suddenly en vogue does not mean that it adds meaning to our language. To be sure, there is nothing wrong with verbal fads. Language evolves. What is amusing, though, is the widespread belief that the sudden popularity of a word makes it more meaningful. That those who use such words are on to some new meaning. This is often not the case. The “new” words often just reinvent the wheel or, to use another metaphor, they are old wine in a new bottle. leave comment here
6 comments:
Tom, There are a couple of things going on with these new words. First, there is an aspect of fad or cool. The other is a sense of attempting to restore a label that has been used with pejorative intent, or taken as a negative stereotype, that causes harm or division.
It is not possible to use language that doesn't contain generalizations. And generalizations always fail to convey the full meaning of the user to the listener--unless they come from identical backgrounds. Sometimes just because a white person says "Black" or a Christian says "Muslim" you are more likely to infer a negative motive from the generalization, whether it is true or not. Genuine communication is all about getting beyond the generalizations in sustained dialogue, that is where real humanity begins to emerge. Yet, the use of a word to be cool is to set oneself above another. And, the fear of dialogue that gets behind a generalization is also uncomfortable, keeping us with our own group.
Some words, for example "cult" or "extremist" belie malicious intent or disdain, the user preempts any desire for dialogue. Whereas if you use descriptive language you open the door to dialogue, and it it up to the reader or listener to decide whether to impute offense or take the risk on a dialogue.
Thank you Tom for once again opening my mind to something I had not thought of.
Fads in language as in fashion and hair style are always void of meaning.
Your juxtaposition (another trendy word meaning: To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast)- your comparison of the classic word against the "cool" word is very interesting.
If anything, new words, fashion and hairstyles may express a language's mood at a certain time in history (groovy, flares, beehives etc.) A couple of decades down the road all fashion seems ridiculous. That is why I ignore fads. I prefer to stick to my comfort zone (and there is another one!), comfort bloody zone, erogenous zone, yes, but comfort zone? Why can't they just say comfortable?
Funny innit?
Gordon and Juliette are both on to the crux of the matter. This sort of Newspeak seems to be primarily an effort to be "cool," "mod,"
"with it."
But hey, that's part of being young.
When I was growing up in the 50s, I said that Jack Kerouac was a "cool cat,dadio," and in the 60s I agreed with Phil Donohue that one shouldn't be uptight, one shouldn't have any hang-ups, one should let it all hang out and one should have a ball.
Speaking of words - Michael Caine as Nigel Powers in “Goldmember” : "There are only two things I can't stand in this world: People who are intolerant of other peoples' cultures,… and the Dutch."
GO URUGUAY!
Excellent post, Tom. I marvel at American English. We invent words like mad, but we use them up like mad.
In the past, I believe the Brits were quite aghast at our penchant for adding "-ize" to everything. We advertise, and visualize and conceptualize.
We turn nouns into verbs ("Google this!") and verb into nouns.
We generalize the life out of an idea, as you point out. "Inappropriate" is supposed to be a catch-all for all kinds of behaviors.
But mainly, I think we suck the life out of words. There was a time when "awesome" suggested that something inspired awe. Now, everything is awesome.
Paradoxically (and I love this) culture makes language and language makes culture.
Barry,
Right, "awesome" is another good example of an "in", and now overused, word.
Oh well, words and fads come and go.
But as you said, without language, there is no culture. Maybe these crazes, irritating as they may be at times, are part of the nifty evolution of language and culture....
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