The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Of course, it's not, but I wonder how many of you required a second read to realize that the word "literally" ruined an otherwise comprehensible sentence in the subject line. If this kind of dictional malpractice keeps you up at night, you're not alone. The good folks over at The Economist's language blog (fittingly dubbed Johnson) are in a tizzy that the L-word didn't make the cut in an essay by Slate's Ben Yagoda examining which words in the English language deserve protection from wholesale redefinition. The anonymous (per The Economist's tradition) blogger frets:
I'm surprised one popular peeve item didn't make his list: "literally". If the storehouse of traditional vocabulary were fire and I could only save a few items, it'd be one of the ones I'd grab on my way out of the building. "Literally" literally has no neat replacement that I know of; if I try to imagine myself replacing it in a sentence, I only imagine myself saying it louder and more insistently.
Me: It was literally miles away.
Interlocutor: [unimpressed] Hm, really?
Me: No, I mean it was literally miles away. We walked forever. Not literally forever, mind you...
When used properly (as in my attempted joke here), "literally" can pack an irreplaceable punch. And while I can't think of how to tabulate it exactly, my sense is that plenty of people still use "literally" to mean "not figuratively", as I do. The fight isn't over yet on literally, as I suspect it is for "beg the question". So I'm for saving the ones we can. I might literally fight this one to my dying day.
He'll need the strength if the misappropriation continues to come from such visible sources as a certain Vice President.
This brings up an interesting point about language in general. Our methods of verbal communication are wonderful examples of what Hayek called "spontaneous order", open systems where the rules change and adapt to follow common usage. It's the reason we add new words to the dictionary and see others take on new meanings over time. All the rules of grammar that you learned as something just short of priestly edicts during your childhood are nothing more than conventions hallowed by tradition (I brought this up to a Ph.D. student in English at a cocktail party once -- based on her reaction, I think I may have ruined her life). That's not to say they're without utility -- far from it. But they didn't descend from the mountaintop either.
This humble scribe could do without at least a few of the commandments -- foremost among them the prohibition on the split infinitive, which is essentially a fatwa on poetry (try to imagine the tag of "Star Trek" as "To go boldly where no man has gone before").
The case of "literally" is different, however. What we're seeing here is not a transposition of meaning, but an erosion of it. The use of "literally" as an intensifier -- a sort of mid-sentence exclamation point -- ruins a word that, as The Economist notes, has no ready substitute. It's a word that deserves to be saved. And if that means fewer Joe Biden speeches ... well, this is an era of shared sacrifice, isn't it?
- Comment (24)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Jul '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
"..dictional malpractice..."
I'm stealing that phrase.
I couldn't agree more, literally.
Jun '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
As much as we Americans hammer on that word, the Brits have us beat. It seems they use much more than we do. I understand the concern. It is definitely overused.
Feb '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
I'm actually looking into buying a balaclava and spray-paint in order to fix every grammatical tragedy I see on public signs, so I completely agree with your harangue on the word "literally". The worst part is that it is such a nice word on its own, before it was ruined by misuse.
Mar '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Good post. My lingual bête noire is when "decimate" is used for "annihilate." Decimate means to destroy one-tenth of something, whereas annihilate is to destroy all of something. In ancient warfare, one-tenth was good enough – and the proper goal of the Roman legions – to ensure a rout. It is, however, a far cry from destroying the entire army. It literally causes my head to explode.
Has anyone seen my super glue?
Jan '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
"Very unique." "Relatively unique." And other logical impossibilities.
"Reticent" being used where "reluctant" is meant.
Confusing "imply" and "infer."
These, like the inappropriate use of "literally", aren't just language change. They're language degradation - loss of the ability to express precise meaning.
By contrast, when one of the kids says, "Me and Mike will be there around noon," it may hurt my ears, but meaning is undamaged. That's what I consider "natural" language change.
As long as I don't have to hear it too often.
Jan '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
If you outlawed the mangling of language ... i.e., manguage ... the Irish would go back to Gaelic. Yogi Berra wouldn't be funny. Abbott & Costello would just be ... Abbott.
Take all the fun out of it, why don't ya?
May '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
I know this is hopeless because it seems 90% of English speakers now do it, but I HATE, "The problem is, is that..." Why the two is-es? People from good families say, "The problem is that ..."
Sep '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
I have a real problem with this too. Many people only know word meanings through use and not definition. It's paradoxical hyperbole; another way of saying "I'm exaggerating so much that I'm telling you that it's actually true because no one believes me anymore". Joe Biden is the perfect poster-boy for this affliction.
Agree about decimate, Vic Sage, especially when someone says "totally decimated" Like the misuse of literally, they have heard it used but never looked it up in the dictionary, then the word takes on a new meaning according to common understanding.
Spell check has introduced new common definitions in English, notably "than" and "then". This one makes me go metaphorically ballistic.
Jul '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Another misused word: peruse. Some people try to sound smart and use peruse when they actually mean scan.
Jan '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
And that's one that drives me nuts. Just because something bad happens to someone—including but not limited to death—does not mean a tragedy has occurred.
May '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Incorrect use of subjective case pronouns (e.g., "between you and I") is about my only grammatical pet peeve, because it strikes me as made in an attempt to sound pretentious. In fact, in casual speech sometimes even the correct use is annoying (e.g., "I am he" or "It is I" vs "I'm him" or "It's me") for the same reason.
Aug '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Impact. Impact as a verb. Or an adjective (impactful). Or an adverb (impactfully). That's my verbal pet peeve. It's everywhere. Nothing "effects" anything any longer. Everything "impacts" something. I'm waiting for someone to take it all the way to "impactionation."
Jan '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
It was quite jarring one time when I actually heard a co-worker describe a white-out condition during a blizzard as being "pitch white". Apparently adjectives can be just as prone to misinterpretation as other parts of speech.
Apr '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Does anyone else find it absurd when people dismiss counter arguments with something like "well now we're just talking semantics" as though the appropriate use and understanding of words has no place in "open-minded" discussion. Our political language is the worst case senario as the Left has actively worked to redefine and misuse language to their favor.
In the case of "literally" it seems people use it and other words as meaningless modifiers or amplifiers, which exist in other languages, but not so much in english. A lazy way to express an idea.
Mar '11
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Sam, I think you've hit one of the real problems. Communication is [literally?] a creative process that requires the understanding, analysis, and synthesis of ideas, some of which are quite complex. Cliché and abbreviation have become accepted, even preferred, ways of expression. Why? Because it's easier than thinking.
It also displays a profound lack of respect for your interlocutor. It tells other people that you just can't be bothered with them, that you don't take them seriously.
Now, let me be clear...
Nov '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
I love mangling English! It's about the most fun one can have with grammar.
And now I have a new toy.
Dec '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Fewer Joe Biden speeches is reason enough! Literally. ;-)
Jul '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
I literally have no response to this.
Oh, wait...
Dec '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Hopefully at the beginning of a sentence is another irritating impediment to clarity. Hopefully, Joe Biden will give fewer speeches in the future. Does that mean that I hope Joe Biden will give fewer speeches or that Joe Biden will give fewer speeches in a hopeful manner?
Edited on Apr 12, 2011 at 12:24pmSep '10
Re: The English Language is 'Literally' Falling Apart
Metaphorically, the last word on this topic:
http://www.resort.com/~prime8/Orwell/patee.html
Edited on Apr 12, 2011 at 3:21pm