On Language and Pedantry

As this is my first philosophical post I would like to make something clear…

This is my philosophy…

I have a certain amount of knowledge about the philosophy that has gone before me, but, generally speaking…

Any resemblance to anyone else’s ideas is purely coincidental…

If coincidences exist…

Nothing is as peevish and pedantic as men’s judgements of one another

Desiderus Erasmus

There is a blight on Twitter. The pedant. The one who corrects other people when they have misspelled a word, used the wrong word, or misplaced an apostrophe. I feel sorry for them. Many people will see a mistake but will remain silent because they know that it really doesn’t matter. Language is communication. As long as the idea is communicated it is of no consequence if a word is misused, misspelled or even made up.

I blame Samuel Johnson. At least partly. Compiling a long, long list of words, documenting their meaning, and spelling. What was he thinking? I think that he had a hand in killing the English Language, making it staid and lifeless. (I confess that I have just had to Google the word ‘staid’ to make sure that it was the word I was looking for!). Language should have life to it. It should be fun and we should be allowed to have fun with it.

Go on. Make up a new word today. See if other people will know what you mean. As long as the word has some context they should have an inkling of an idea. How many people have asked somebody to pass them the ‘dooberry’ or said, ‘you know, thingammyjig’? As long as there is context, such as them having something that can be passed over or a further description as to what the thingammyjig is, there is understanding. An idea will have been communicated. If you don’t feel like creating, why not resurrect a word that has fallen into disuse. Nincompoop, meaning a person with silly ideas, is a particular favourite of mine. Try it in a sentence the next time you come across a pedant. Look him straight in the eye and say, ‘you sir… are a nincompoop!’.