The Voice

In the words of the writer Walker Lamond: “Identify the words that you overuse the most and eliminate them.” A thought that should resonate with the culture of “The Office” junkies and “World of Warcraft” addicts, where certain phrases – once laughter-inducing, but now simply annoying – are used to the point that they no longer have meaning or, sometimes, origin.

Television and the Internet play a significant role in the overuse of certain words or phrases as well. We can thank Mr. Dwight Schrute from “The Office” for the response of “false” to declaratory statements and “question” to preface, well, questions. Web sites like failblog.com have made the phrase “epic fail” a staple among word choices in young adults.

All of these things considered, an Orwellian doom seems to be lurking in technology’s shadow. The futuristic language called “speakwrite,” a speech-limiting tactic that would ultimately limit the thoughts of the citizens, was raised in the mid-20th century classic “1984.” In that context, the government was the perpetrator of diminishing speech, but in modern-day America, it is the citizens’ own fault for the use of trite phrases. With smaller vocabularies and less innovation in speech, Americans are becoming mindless drones who look to pop culture and celebrities to formulate their thoughts for them.

In defense of these phrases, it is possible they connect with the general public instead of destroy them. Before television and movie theaters, people would quote Shakespeare, a bond that was universal and timeless. Perhaps these new key phrases are simply the new-age sonnets. When introducing phrases that everyone across America can talk about, and relate to, it forms a community.

If it’s any consolation, trendy, but seemingly nonsensical phrases have a history. In the 1920s an enjoyable person could be considered the “cat’s pajamas,” and in the 1950s an outrageous person was the “living end.” No matter the time period, the public’s instinct is to connect and bond by contriving general interests.

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Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 5 2010. Filed under Our Voice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry