Actions speak louder than words. There is no debate. A hug means more than a, “I’m here with you,” and a salute means more than a, “I respectfully acknowledge you.” With this firm belief, a lot of people ask me why I even bother to be an English major.
So how can love span both mutual and unreciprocated feelings, encompass romance and platonism, and be both given and felt? By using the word in such a variety of ways, we are simultaneously overgeneralizing and severely restricting love in our language.
“What used to be a seemingly innocuous slogan carries the weight of a campus movement.”
Why do we write? In his final column as metro editor, Juan Olavarria takes an in depth look at the beauty of language and the gifts it gives to humanity.
“I want my words to reflect my perspective and for other people to understand my words as I mean them. And I worry that that just isn’t possible.”
What meaning is loaded onto specific words? What kind of meaning should we pay attention to? What kind of meaning do we have to learn to ignore?
Humans are built to be diverse—cultural and linguistic differences are not artificial divisions, but expressions of what is most deeply and beautifully natural in us.
If we teach our children that message through foreign language and culture, imagine all the love that would grow.
BC’s language requirements can be tortuous—instead, these courses would teach us everything we need to know.
When choosing your words, it is more important than ever to choose the right ones.
