Appreciating the use of language and grammar is not just for stuffy librarians and English teachers with nothing to do on Saturday nights. Our word choices, emphases, sentence structure and other methods of expression all transmit specific messages to our audience — whether it’s the TA grading our work, the suit across the table in an interview, or the voter whose support we’re trying to gain.
Each and every word used in a sentence carries a connotation. The historical uses of a word, the word’s length and even how it acoustically activates the ear create strong impressions on listeners. Every word you put into your sentence is a densely packed brick. When constructing an argument, you have the power to build the next Great Wall — or a pile of debris. Prior to speaking or writing, try asking yourself how may your words be interpreted, not just are you saying what you mean. Consider this silly example: a freshman finds out that “beer is $5 a cup” at a house party and, after finishing a cup, grudgingly goes back to the host with another $5 asking for a second cup of beer. Anyone at the UW for more than a week knows that the cups are refillable; they’ve had experience at parties and know the term “a cup” means “a cup that is refillable throughout the evening, or until the keg has been emptied.” Obviously, we’d spend a lot more time talking if words didn’t carry connotations, and we can all agree some people spend too much time talking as it is. However, the above example shows you must know your audience and anticipate the many different interpretations of what you’re about to say, if you wish to really be understood — which is much more fulfilling than just being heard.
But you already turned the first paper in, you have no plans to interview for a job in the near future, and you aren’t running for president — why should you really care how clearly you express yourself?
As all students know, the more you practice the better you become. You grow better at not only revealing your own thoughts, but also at recognizing what others are telling you. You gain a consciousness of how words are crafted in speech. You may recognize patterns or trends that attempt to lead you in newspaper articles that previously had seemed simple reports. You begin questioning how you receive the world through others’ presentations, not simply assuming what appears the obvious interpretation. Here’s a tip: if someone wants to deceive you, they won’t make it obvious.
For instance, what does that ad that says “Free Sandwich!” mean? Is it really free? The word “free” carries a lot of weight; something free obviously requires no investment or cost. Not so obvious is the condition that only after you purchase twelve other sandwiches will you be presented with a free one. Well, not quite, you still have to go in and ask for it and then wait for it to be made. In truth, however, you’ve already paid for that last sandwich by overpaying for the first twelve. But the ad says “free” and people will believe it.
Or what does a Patriot Act do? Well, it’s clearly patriotic, and that’s something good, so the bill must be good too. I suggest passing the Snuggly Bunny Act. Don’t worry about the fine print — it’s just there for fluffiness. Seriously though, the Patriot Act isn’t Satan on Earth, but we must remember to question that which affects us and not simply accept it because the words associated with an idea generally conjure positive emotions.
If you practice clearly presenting your arguments and relating them to others, others will not dupe you with rhetoric alone. The stronger your wall of words is, the better it will stand against someone trying to smash their own bricks against you. With critical skills in expression come the critical interpretation skills that allow you to not simply watch the presidential debates or blindly accept opinionated summaries of them, but actually take meaning from them. When President Bush attacks Kerry with labels, you will evaluate the strength of his argument. When Senator Kerry welcomes a question with apparent enthusiasm and never actually answers it, you will evaluate the strength of his argument.
Our skills in communication directly correlate to our skills in comprehension. Let’s hone them both to precision and enjoy the warmth of enlightenment. Our lives are important — too important to not investigate and consider. So please, let’s do more than form opinions; let’s also evaluate those around us, those pressing on our decisions and intellects. We’ve come to the University of Wisconsin, one of the greatest universities in the nation, to learn, not to merely get a degree. Let’s learn how to think independently. The first step is speaking clearly.
Matthew Clausen ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in English.
