Watch Your Language!

May 26, 2020 (Tuesday)

You have to work hard at staying abreast of new ways of saying things. We may use familiar words that may not mean exactly what they once meant. I heard on TV, just today, a man saying, “It’s only anecdotal — not vetted.” You may know what he meant by that, but if this were several years ago, you would have been hard pressed to tell me what he was talking about. In our every day language, please tell me what he said.

The word, “ain’t,” finally made it into the dictionary, but it has pretty much fallen out of use these days. Of course, we know what it means: “Is not” or “are not.” When I was a little boy, that word was used many times every day by a majority of the people, I believe. As late as 1950, I had a roommate from New Jersey who was a U.S. Navy veteran. As he strolled across the campus one day, a professor heard him say, “ain’t.” The prof walked up to the vet and warned him, “Young man, are you aware that those who do not use proper English are placed in a remedial English class?” My friend replied, “Well, ya ain’t puttin’ me in one, ’cause I’m already in one!” ‘Nuff said.

And another thing. If you were learning English, how in the world would you handle the way people refer to organizations with an acronym? I mean, does the FBI know more than the CIA? And did you know that the OSS is the root of the CIA? Is SBC a Baptist org. or is it the name of a defunct communications firm? How about BGCT or TBC? On and on we can go, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. How in the world is the English student supposed to keep up with all that? I cannot do it myself. How many of these bureaus, organizations or offices can you name without looking them up?

Enough of that. I’ll get to the point. I’ve heard it said many times that New Testament Greek is the most expressive language that ever existed, and to make that point there is a proverb that says “The Greeks had a word for it.” But I take issue with that statement. In my humble, sometimes stupid, way I say that English is the most expressive language ever known. It’s made up of many languages, sometimes disguised, that pop up in almost any piece of English writing. Many languages are bound by stern rules of usage, but English, although replete with many rules, allows speakers and writers freedom in their application of those rules. Colloquialisms, compound words, exclamations, etc. are all confusing to the person new to the language. And so it goes. English is indeed a great language, whether or not you agree that it’s the greatest.

One thing I’ve never understood, and that’s the use of profanity and obscene remarks. I had a teacher early on who told us one day that cursing just shows your ignorance and you need to learn the correct words to express yourself. She was right.

One of the reasons that many of us love old movies is that the language was more or less clean. Shakespeare is still popular today because he understood how to use language as a means of changing the world. We are cautioned in the Scriptures to guard our tongues and be careful in our use of words. And remember the immortal words of Forrest Gump: “Stupid is as stupid does.”

The president in today’s blog, although imperfect as all the presidents have been, is remembered to this day because of, among other reasons, his skillful use of our language in his speeches.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers do Gershwin in song and dance..on roller skates! (I suggest viewing full screen).


Click here to view the words of “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off”

At the close of each Tuesday blog I write about the presidents, in the order of their service.

Today’s president is

John F. Kennedy – 35th President