Words Have Rights

Where is our language going? There is much talk about disappearing languages and I think it is tragic and that we should try to preserve them when ever possible. Although another part of me says that a languages purpose is to communicate and if it no longer fulfills that function then, well, it’s over for it but I just don’t like that idea. Maybe all languages will merge into one big universal mess, I think that would be a tragedy and so much would be lost, all the nuances  and untranslatables would be gone into lowest common denominator blur. Right now our language is under assault  by politicians and advertisers in particular, these two groups are making words hate themselves as the words see their meanings destroyed. Words like to have meaning, words have a soul, words are begging to be given back their power. Creating confusion is not something a word is happy with. We have allowed this to happen, I not sure how, but we need there to be accountability in speech and writing, to no longer allow doublespeak or whatever euphemism is applied to the misappropriation of a word’s hard fought for meanings.  Words have rights and we should respect them. This doesn’t mean definitions can’t evolve, they can, just as any being evolves adjusts and modifies to outside influences. A conservative ethos needs to be adopted with words allowing their meanings to be restored and in some cases remembered. With this conservation and a refusal to allow doublespeak from anyone we can get back to understanding and perhaps find the compassion needed to save ourselves.

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