REGIE'S BLOG
Babel
Posted: 5/26/2010 8:55:57 AM
Maybe I'm just getting old, but it seems like people talk differently than they did when I was a kid. I actually remember when the term "awesome" was first being used in that casual, "that dude's car is awesome" sort of way. Before that, "awesome" had a more grandiose and majestic meaning i.e.; "the awesome power of almighty God" as opposed to "the almighty power of God is totally awesome dude". A subtle yet profound difference I think. I also remember the advent of the word "like" being jammed in front of every, like, sentence and like, point of view someone was like, trying to convey. It all sprang from a movie and song called "Valley Girl" in the '80's. Talking like a valley girl was once a novelty that my friends and I thought was cute and endearing in teenage girls. It signified a slight lack of intelligence coupled with a strong desire to fit in. Add the willingness to do whatever it takes to be liked and you have my high school dream girl. So I know how this type of speech became popular in women. What I totally (I actually mean "in total") missed was the moment every person in North America - male and female alike - started talking like a 17-year old "valley girl."
For those of you under 30, you won't understand what I'm talking about. For those of you older than that, you'll probably get it on some level. There's a specific inflection that has become generational I think. It's always that way I guess. My generation certainly doesn't talk like my father's or grandfather's. I love watching black and white movies and hearing some guy tell another guy "sit down or you're getting it right in the kisser see. You been givin' these boys the business but them shenanigans don't fly around here brother". Nobody talks like that anymore. By the time my son is a teenager, he could very possibly watch a movie from the 1930's and not understand a single word being said. I find that kind of amazing. Our language and culture changes so rapidly that it's not out of the realm of possibility that we could be using a completely different vernacular in one generation. Incredible.
Language and the ability to fully communicate is the cornerstone of any civilization. I'm reminded of the story of the tower of Babel. The people of Babel had decided they were equal with God. They built a tower to reach him but instead of killing them all or "smiting" them with some disease or visiting a pestilence or famine on their land, he taught them a valuable lesson by doing something simple. He confused their language. They couldn't communicate with each other anymore. Thus the term "babbling."Once they couldn't understand each other, they couldn't work or live together. That's sociology 101. Common language is essential to any successful society.
I often hear politicians moving to make English the official language of the U.S. I'll then hear fierce opposition on the other side. Somehow, recognizing an official language represents racism and bigotry to them. I have no comment on it one way or another except to say ...shuiwjwabc uijalk lelelelelh adhioibe! (that's my own personal language and I'd like it recognized please)
My new pet peeve with the ever evolving culture of language is the texting craze. I see 20-somethings around me all day long, drinking designer coffee, wearing those permanently-attached ear pieces and frantically banging their thumbs on some four-inch by six-inch piece of plastic with raised numbers and letters on it, trying to communicate without having to actually engage someone vocally or emotionally. I understand the convenience aspects of emails and texts - it does make sense and I'm caught right up in the middle of it. But I think you can go overboard with anything. The Amtrak disaster of last year appears to have been a direct result of the engineer texting while driving the train. Really!!!? How important could that text have been for someone in their right mind to say to themselves, "I'm driving a thousand tons of steel filled with human beings a hundred miles an hour over two narrow rails ...I'm bored. I know! I'll send a text to someone ...that'll be a great way to pass the time!" The de-railing was horrible and I'm certainly not trying to make light of anyone's tragedy, but folks can we put the phones down for a few minutes? Especially when we're driving ............a TRAIN???!!!
Finally, I'd also like to register my disappointment with the de-construction of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation as a whole in emails and texts. Somehow, we've decided as a culture that if you are just emailing someone, grammar, spelling and punctuation doesn't count anymore. How did we all decide to give ourselves a straight pass for that? I get the whole "k - c u 2 nite" text efficiency thing I guess. No wasted letters - I get that. But I don't do it. I spell the words. I also capitalize proper nouns and punctuate as correctly as possible ...all the time ... sort of ...even in emails and texts. I had to learn all that stuff in school and by God, I'm using it!
The most frightening thing of all about language and communication is how fragile it all is. One missing or misplaced letter can change an entire sentence and could actually change your life. If you were writing a newfound love and were texting her "meet me at the car" but accidentally hit a "b" instead of a "c" - she might never find you and meet someone else at the "bar" and then live happily ever after with them ...all because of the difference between B and C. Words are important and powerful. Communication is an art and must be cultivated. All good songwriters know that the difference between "but" "and" and "so" can turn your song from one of redemption into one of confusion - from something funny into something sick - from a classic love statement into an inappropriate question. It's always in the details. "I Want To Hold Your Hand" means one thing sung by the Beatles. "I Want To Mold Your Hand" means something completely different and is actually kind of creepy. One letter would've turned the Fab Four into an obscure, niche band who wrote songs about human body wax replication. It's such a fine line.
So, always remember - God and the devil are found in the details of everything. It's no different with language and communication. But these days, with all the new forms of it, I'm surprised when we see either one of them.
R
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