Linguistic lamentations
Friday, January 1, 2010 by Palmer Attaway
My vocabulary used to get me into no end of trouble. I would rattle and ramble some conglomeration of words to the mass of idiots surrounding me and because they were confused, frightened, or thinking the word “conglomeration” was an insult or a magical conjuring, I would find myself in a bit of a pickle. In college, my large vocabulary, while not antagonistic, was still something of a hurdle. I knew the words to use but fumbled with them and dropped them to the dirt in favor of simpler ones. Though I now believe I was on a higher intellectual rise than those around me were, I still fell short of the mark when speaking... at least for the first few semesters. Once I hit my stride, I was able to select easily the words from my storehouse and speak them with confidence and some modicum of pride.
In the last decade or so, I have found that the storehouse has been raided by a mis spent youth. After years of “dumbing it down” as it were, I have lost those colorful phrases and razor sharp statements that were once so much a part of my speech pattern, that I'd rather speak them and have a bloodied nose and cracked knuckle. Where have they gone? I could blame technology and the computerized thesaurus that often aids alliteration or I could blame the ruffians with whom I associated for so long but one of them is an English teacher now so I can't rightly cast a broad blanket of blame nor can I blame individuals as I often brag on my superior, unaffectable nature.
If you don't use it... you loose it. This seems to be a truism not only in the case of one's “groove” but also with one's vocabulary. I would like to say that I have improved considerably of late, but alas... not the case. I should invest in a word a day calender. Perhaps that will increase my verbal efficacy. Maybe that will hone my linguistic lash to the razor sharp grasping talon it once was. Maybe I just need new people on whom to sharpen them.... in a good way.
In the last decade or so, I have found that the storehouse has been raided by a mis spent youth. After years of “dumbing it down” as it were, I have lost those colorful phrases and razor sharp statements that were once so much a part of my speech pattern, that I'd rather speak them and have a bloodied nose and cracked knuckle. Where have they gone? I could blame technology and the computerized thesaurus that often aids alliteration or I could blame the ruffians with whom I associated for so long but one of them is an English teacher now so I can't rightly cast a broad blanket of blame nor can I blame individuals as I often brag on my superior, unaffectable nature.
If you don't use it... you loose it. This seems to be a truism not only in the case of one's “groove” but also with one's vocabulary. I would like to say that I have improved considerably of late, but alas... not the case. I should invest in a word a day calender. Perhaps that will increase my verbal efficacy. Maybe that will hone my linguistic lash to the razor sharp grasping talon it once was. Maybe I just need new people on whom to sharpen them.... in a good way.
1st post... new year. Welcome 2010
