Mind our language
In these times of slack use of language, the precise meaning of words becomes confused. Words that once were semantically distinct are used interchangeably such that the sense or nuance conveyed by one or both is lost. For example, scepticism and cynicism are frequently conflated.
Being sceptical about popular or modish beliefs does not make you a cynic. True cynicism occurs when an ideal is subverted for easy profit or fame. Perhaps the trading around Green Energy Credits and Sports-washing are good candidates.
How are we to distinguish between being uninterested and disinterested, consists of and comprises, slut or slattern?
Some people argue that the English language is a living entity the meaning of whose words is dynamic, others contend that there is a political motivation behind accurate use of language, that grammar and semantics are relics of a colonial past.
However, it’s just as likely that such arguments are motivated by a lazy and slack approach to writing, an unwillingness to make sure that a word is being used correctly by a modicum of research.
This lazy use of words does produce two unfortunate outcomes.
- Writings of one generation can be misinterpreted by the next or previous generations. Since writing is primarily about communicating ideas, this is truly regrettable.
- Legal documents are written in tortuous English in an attempt to eliminate ambiguity and an increasingly vain attempt to future-proof them.
I hope when you read my reflections, you might damn me as sceptical but not cynical and that you will enjoy my short stories and novellas.