"I love words. I love to sing them and speak them and even now, I must admit, I have fallen into the job of writing them."
~Anne Rice
The vocabulary of our language changes every day. Words that were used centuries ago may no longer exist today. They disappear, change meaning, or are no longer relevant in today's society.
This week, I was disturbed by some words I read, words that people wrote I thought were intelligent and well-educated. Our words are a direct reflection of our deepest beliefs and convictions. They can have the power to move, enlighten and educate, yet also disturb, anger, and ruffle a few feathers. The old saying, “words can hurt,” has been around for a long time for a reason: it’s true.
Let’s go back – way back - for just a moment. See if you can translate the meaning of this passage from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales (1380s):
“This frère bosteth that he knoweth helle,
And God it woot, that it is litel wonde
Freres and feendes been but lyte asunder.
For, pardee, ye han ofte tyme herd telle..”
Give up? Here’s the translation:
“This friar boasts that he knows hell,
And God knows it is little wonder;
Friars and fiends are seldom far apart.
For, by God, you have offttimes heard tell..”
Don’t worry if you can’t understand this passage. Chaucer was a poet from The Middle Ages, so even we boomers weren’t around when he wrote it (slight chuckle).
Portrait of the Friar from the Ellesmere Manuscript of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Words can change over time; sometimes, new ones replace old ones. Perhaps they’ve become inappropriate, have negative connotations, or change meanings because of cultural changes.
One example of the definition of a word changing due to cultural changes is the word “gay.” In the 1934 movie musical “The Gay Divorcee,” “gay” meant lighthearted or happy. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century that meaning underwent several transformations. Today the word “gay” primarily refers to someone’s sexual orientation.
As I quickly glanced at some Facebook posts this week, I noticed one post from someone I barely knew. Reading it sent shivers down my spine. There were only six words:
“The Kardashians is a retarded show.”
The mere mention of the “r” word instantly reminded me of elementary school. There was a class across the hall from mine where all the (insert “r” word) students were. That’s what my classmates called them. Hearing it always made me sick to my stomach.
In the late 1960s, there were no IEPs, no diagnoses of OCD or ADHD, and no self-contained classrooms for children with learning disabilities. Today when I think about that classroom, it saddens me to think of how those students and their parents were treated and what they must have endured.
So I would like to tell the person who posted about The Kardashians: Shame on you.
Here are a few other words that have changed over time:
"Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much."
~Blaise Pascal
Do you have words that you dislike? Are there other words you can think of that have changed over time?
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Great post, Cathy.
I have had to break myself of the "R" word and the "G" word, as I grew up using them, (never to describe individual people or groups of people!) as descriptors. As in, "Why isn't this thing working? Is it retarded?"
Or,
"Are you going to the prom with your cousin?"
"Why, no. That's so gay."
Seriously, I never thought about them as slurs, until I twice used them in the presence of people who mistook my North Jersey-speak as something other than just part of my speech pattern derived from the culture from which they arose (1970's Essex and Hudson counties) and pigeonholed me as being a narrow-minded insensitive bigot. As I am neither, I had to make a concerted effort to choose a better way to say some things.
I will admit, though, to sometimes falling back into these speech patterns when I am with a childhood friend. I really do try to watch myself. Because I really don't want to offend anyone, even accidentally.
I love words like "loquacious" and "perspicacious." I think that comes from my love of Mary Poppins and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." I'm not sure if any of those are spelled correctly, and have two blogs to complete, so I'm not going to have time to check. But I love your blog, and I love how you love words. P.S. My husband uses the word "fagged" as "to be tired." I have asked him to stop using the word since it alarms our children.
I agree with you, Cathy. I would add "idiot" to that list. In today's vernacular, it seems to mean "anyone who has inconvenienced me in the slightest way,"or, "anyone who disagrees with me," but it remains an unkind description which connotes superiority and dismissal of another's worth.
I know I am terribly old fashioned in this, but I also dislike the obscenities that pepper so much speech and writing today. There are more descriptive words to use. I don't understand the appeal of vulgarity.
(I sound rather like Cousin Violet, don't I?)
Couldn't agree more with you about shuddering at the "r" word. I also can't stand it when people say "shut up." To me, it's as bad as the f-word.
Tweet used to be what a bird does...now it's form of communication. Language is fascinating because it's so fluid and ever-changing.
Your Chaucer poem reminded me of my traumatic Early British Lit class in college - how I hated trying to understand what those archaic poems said. Such torture.
I'm with you on this one. Particularly the R word.
It is so interesting the way that words change their meanings. Do you ever wonder how this happens. Very often it is done by teens (not necessarily the ones above).
Words have so much power! This is a nice way to examine words and how we use them. Victim is a very emotionally charged word when it comes to the crime of sexual violence. Many people refuse to use that word or take that 'label' so we often say, those who have experienced sexual violence.
I lived in New Zealand for a year. On our arrival after hours and hours in a plane, with a 7 week old baby, I went to the little convenience story around the corner. I came home in tears saying that I didn't understand a word they were saying! There's English...and then there's English!
Words are ever changing. I did a post on this once, too. Yours brought even more words to mind.
Excellent post, as always! I agree with you on all, though I must say I never knew how the word handicapped came along. Very interesting. The R word? Grrrr!! Makes me so angry. To be honest, I hadn't thought of the use of it too much (yes, ignorant, I know) up until several years ago when I met a woman with a mentally challenged adult child. Completely changed my thinking. Words CAN and DO hurt, far too often.
And I'm with ya, sister, on the not being a "victim" of MS. Eff that S**t. (How's that for words?) 😀
Great post!
Not a fan of the word victim (or worse, sufferer). I'm thinking we need some new words, because while the term "people with the chronic condition MS" (or rheumatoid arthritis or diabetes or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder) sounds better, it's a bit clunky, and sometimes writers are up against a word count.
Even for people who've experienced terrible crimes: mugging victim, rape victim, incest victim - there's something weak and helpless and demoralizing about the word victim, while terms like rape survivor, assault survivor, sound to me a little too "Rah-rah, go team!" There ought to be a better way to describe that you have an illness, or were assaulted - and while these things still greatly impact you, they do not wholly define who you are.
What an interesting post! My son is currently taking a college course entitled, "Language and Discrimination" in which they have been discussing everything from how words change in meaning to words that now fall into the category of hate speech. Of big concern to his peers is the fact that the "older generation" continues to use words that are now considered hateful and that it is hard to get them to change. Although I do try to be very careful about the words I choose, I sometimes miss the days when words had simpler meanings and one, simply by using common sense and respect for others, could converse without worrying about using the wrong word.