Word Play: Being responsible with language

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, February 17th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Time now for Word Play for this month. Here’s WORLD Commentator George Grant.

GEORGE GRANT, COMMENTATOR: According to the Victorian nursery rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But the apocryphal book Ecclesiasticus reverses the idea asserting, “A blow of sticks and stones raises a welt, but a blow of the tongue crushes the bones.” Or as Don Henley more recently put it, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can break my heart.”

Recently, I read a story about a woman who was to undergo a risky brain surgery. Doctors prepared her for the worst, because in all likelihood, the invasive procedure would destroy her ability to speak. When asked how she was doing, she responded, “You know, since I can count the number of sentences I have left to say, I’ve become really picky with my words.” That is wisdom apt for all of us.

We live in a world flooded with information and words. On average, men speak 10,000 words a day, and women nearly double that number. Digital communication has exponentially increased the ease, avenues, and audience for our words. In some ways, that freedom should be celebrated—especially given that there are many around the world who cannot speak openly about what they think, feel, or believe. The ability to express ourselves can enrich our lives deeply. However, when our language is unrestrained and unmindful, we render our words meaningless at best—damaging at worst.

It happens all the time: a word or phrase is popularized, and almost overnight, it’s overused, abused, and stripped of its original meaning. We now have “artisan” fast food sandwiches, “handcrafted” cups of gas station coffee, and “vintage curated” garage sales. Something described as “unique” often just means it is “interesting” or “atypical,” rather than its true definition of “one-of-a-kind.” Quality, precision, and an appreciation for the true meaning of words have taken a backseat to a false virtue: speed. Getting information out quickly has become more valuable than accuracy or pertinence or graciousness. Prevailing logic says that you can always correct yourself later, so just say something—anything—but say it first and say it fast.

Mark Twain famously quipped, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Being thoughtful and restrained with what we say takes more time. But it’s worth the effort to be selective, because when you sacrifice speed and frequency, your words gain significance, sincerity, and authenticity.

“Words have a magical power,” Sigmund Freud once quipped. “They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; they enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions; they are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men’s actions.”

Language is not only a gift, but also a responsibility. And these days, it is radical to be careful and wise with our words—radical and Biblical. The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).

I’m George Grant.

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