Showing posts with label Language. Show all posts

Having taught literature, reading, grammar, and spelling (among the language arts), it is not unusual to see me express my thankfulness for the proper ability to communicate. As a communicator by profession, it is my stock and trade. Since I fancy myself a struggling writer, language is important to me.

Language should be important to us all. It is the way that we make known to others our needs, emotions, and desires. We can express the English language through verbal and written forms. Language is so important that no matter where you go in this world, if you encounter people they will be communicating--using language.

So, whether you speak a romantic, a tonal, or a sign language, use your language today to express thankfulness that you can communicate.

I text. Mostly to church members and my Beautiful Blushing Bride. But I am not a fan of texting as it is done by the generation who made it up--they have this kookie language that has nothing to do with the rules of genteel spelling and grammar. It almost reminds me of what my Hebrew professor at seminary told me about the original language: "There were originally no vowels, the vowel points were added later by scribes who wanted to preserve the pronunciation."

Well, we're back. Back to no vowels again. I almost wonder why we bothered with them in the first place.

But, I digress. Let's get back to the issue at hand: a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad bag full of abbreviations - ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), BFF (best friend forever), and the like. One of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misused of the lot is LOL. For the uninformed and uninitiated old people who don't or won't text this acronym does not (nor has it ever) stand for "lots of love." Far from it, this little bit of joy stands for "Laugh (or Laughing, depending on your texting dictionary) Out Loud." It suggests that what ever precedes it is a good and funny joke--forcing one to, well, laugh out loud.

And now for the sad reality of using the LOL - decorum dictates that one should not use LOL for their own comments. This is the equivalent of the comic who laughs at his own jokes (even though they are not really funny jokes at all), or the preacher who constantly has to remind his congregation that he has said something with which they should all agree (can I get an Amen? LOL) So you see, if someone wants to LOL at something you've said it's cool (even if you didn't think you said something funny, because they did), and if you think the preacher has said something with which you agree, give a hearty Amen (you can even start your own corner if you like, preachers like that). But it is bad manners for the preacher to beg for Amens, for the comic to guffaw, or for the texter to LOL at his own posts. If it's funny, others will LOL at you. And if it's really funny they might even ROFL.

Go ahead, you can LOL in the comments section now.

You only have one day to prepare for Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19, 2008). So, I thought I'd share some basics from the guys who brought us this festive time.

Ahoy! - "Hello!"

Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"

Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."

Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over."

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

As an aside--since TLAP Day falls on a Friday this year, why not consider an extended weekend celebration.