Would I scare you off if I said this is a short piece about semantics?
Semantics is about language and it has a few messages. It has to do with choosing the right words in the most effective order.
Rule One: The word is not the thing!
Words are symbols. They stand for other things. They are made up by people and, guess what, there are different words in different languages. The word “chair” is not a chair, it is a sybol for a chair that we have been taught to relate to a variety of things to sit on.
Rule Two: There are two kinds of words. There are words that we associate with things we can touch, look at, or point to. Words like Chair, Table, Truck, Nose. And then there are words that you can’t pont to, like Freedom, Scared, Insurance, democracy. These are ideas that have to be explained.
Idea Three: Words have a level of abstraction. The word Vehicle can mean cars or trucks or bicycles. The word truck is more specific. The words Ford F-150 Crew Cab are even more specific and less abstract.
Words have a dictionary definition, and then they have all sorts of emotional overtones that skew their meanings. Rule Four: No word ever means exactly the same thing twice. Every time you use a word, you attach some extra meaning based on the circumstances. If you get stung by a bee and tell about it, the word “Bee” takes on an emotional meaning. Calling a grown man “Boy” instead olf “Sir” makes a difference. And words can be used for the opposite of their normal meaning. Saying, “Yeah, yeah…” means No, not Yes. “Good luck with that” means Not a Chance.
This is just a little something to get you started on thinking about what you say and how you say it, and about how you listen.
Dan Felshin, Springfield, Missouri