Words Matter

I like words and perfect word usage.  I think we all should, especially if complete honest communication is important to us.  Now I routinely come up short in that effort, but I continue to try.  SO stories about words usually catch my eye....like this one.

What is the "inevitable word"?  My contention is that if you have the time, resources and education, you can eventually (inevitably) find the one word that means exactly what it is you are trying to say.  Synonyms aside, there is almost always an "inevitable word".

In a piece presented to a high school A.P. English Literature  program, moellerlit.weebly.com  author Pieter Vree writes an article called "Control the Language, Control the Masses"   He says " Each word has its own particular emphasis, a specific definition, and a subtle yet distinct connotation. In communication, one can’t be swapped for another without altering, in a small or great way, the meaning the concept being conveyed, or without at least casting it in a different light. The close link between clarity in language and clarity of thought has not been lost power-seekers of all stripes. Love him or hate him, Saul Alinsky was spot on when he wrote, “He who controls the language controls the masses.” History has proved him right on this score...the debate over abortion was decisively swayed when its advocates began calling themselves pro-choice. Anyone can be against abortion, but who could be against “choice?"

So words and word usage are powerful instruments in society.  Which means it is interesting and important to know what words or phrases we are researching on our own time.

Here's a list that Google says were among the most, well, googled this year!

The giant tech company released data showing “death” and “TikTok” were among the most-popular terms for which people searched.  Interesting contradiction there - fun and finality!

The official top-ten most-searched terms by our British friends, according to the UK Sun were: 1) Kobe Bryant, 2) India vs New Zealand, 3) Harvey Weinstein, 4) Coronavirus symptoms, 5) Coronavirus, 6) Coronavirus update, 7) Death, 8) Hantavirus, 9) Google Classroom, and 10) Zoom.

Some other notable terms that made it into the top 20 include: unemployment, mask, stimulus checks, and Black Lives Matter.