Writing/Using/Saying Words
November 30, 2021
By Faisal Ahmed
Thinking about words is one of the most entertaining things you can do. It is a little weird to think about words because we use words to think. Depending on how you frame it this can either make thinking really hard, because you might feel something and not have the words to describe it, or it might make words suck because your thoughts might be limited to what you can put into words. Nonetheless the more I think about words the more value I source from the reflection. Here are some of my favorite insights from these reflections.
Fundamentally, I think words are containers of meaning. Each language encodes combinations of sounds with literal meanings that we use to communicate our thoughts, or feelings. Different languages encode words differently, and analyzing this can provide rich cultural insights. However, sticking with English, we often convey meaning beyond the literal definitions of the syllables we use. This complicates how we communicate, and I think enriches the discussions we have with one another. We say the same words but mean different things in a lot of ways, my two favorites are: tone and connotation.
Tone
Using tone as a way to vary meaning is most clearly done through spoken word. That being said, it CAN ALSO HAPPEN THROUGH TEXT. Reading the end of that previous message, you probably wondered “Why’d he start yelling?” We’ve established as a texting norm that capitalizing letters indicates a louder volume, thus it can come across as yelling. Yelling conveys angry, excited or generally upbeat moods. So by using capitalization of whole sentences we can make the same words feel different and therefore convey slightly different meanings. Capitalization is just one way we add tone through text, but we can also do it with the kind and amount of punctuation we use. In addition, we often add letters to stress different words. Some examples:
omg its your bday vs. OMGGG IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAYYYY!!!!
are you kidding me? vs. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!
Recently we’ve also found ways to start communicating sarcasm too by randomly capitalizing letters. For example:
wow you’re soo smart vs. wOw YoU’rE sOO sMarT
Connotation
Connotation is also an interesting way that we can manipulate the meaning we’re trying to convey. Each word has a literal definition, or denotation, but beyond denotation each word also has a connotation. The connotation for words often emerges as a consequence of the context in which the word is frequently used. For example, the ever controversial word “moist”. It feels gross. Even though it just means slightly wet. Moist is never used to describe something that’s just a little wet. You’d hear or read it describing sweaty things, moss, or other weirdly wet environments. As a result, it conveys a meaning more than wet, but also gross. For example:
The mattress is wet. vs. The mattress is moist.
(Totally different)
These are just a few examples and ways in which our words can convey more than their literal meanings. There are plenty more ways that meaning can be complicated in the ways we communicate. Once you reflect about words like this you often enhance your own ability to communicate, so I encourage you to do so!