RTW: Don’t Make Me Say It!

The Road Trip Wednesday question today from the YA Highway ladies is: What words do you absolutely hate? Which ones do you adore? Like most RTW questions/challenges, this made me think. Our language is so diverse and malleable, there are hundreds of thousands of words to choose from–and many are words I’ve never used. Some are really great words, and some do the job but I wish there was a better word. And then there are some that, frankly, I would sooner vomit than let slip from my mouth. For today’s RTW, here’s some of these words that I like, and some I don’t like:

DON’T LIKE

Functionality: I had never encountered this word until I started working in I.T., and everyone seemed to use it as a short-hand way of referring to the functions a certain program or device could perform. It sounded to me like a made-up word, and I resisted it for a long time. In the end, though, the word seemed to have such general acceptance among I.T. and business professionals, that I caved in and started using it. But I really, REALLY don’t like the word.

sh*t, f*ck, etc: Normally considered the worst of the “swear” or “cuss” words. There is nothing intrinsically bad about any word. Words are, after all, merely a collection of letters. If you were to rattle off a string of the ugliest cuss words to a non-English speaker, that person wouldn’t care–you could be saying the sweetest things to him or her. The power of these words is in their intent, and in the reaction they elicit in the hearer. In our day and culture, they are still considered offensive, and are often used merely to be offensive. The user could have chosen a different way of expressing their feelings, or not said anything, but instead chose to use one of these words because they wanted to cause some kind of negative reaction. (Notice, I said “usually” and “often”–I know people sometimes use them because they genuinely feel anger, hurt, or contempt, and one of these words, perhaps shouted in solitude, for them expresses those emotions best at the time.) To me, these words are harsh and offensive no matter what the context. I don’t use them. I literally cannot make myself say them. If I’m frustrated, I’d sooner shout “poo,” partly because that word won’t cause offense, and also because the sound of the word makes me smile, helping to alleviate my feelings of frustration. Now, I can put up with reading them in literature, and I understand that they are words in common parlance, so writers often feel the need to include them in their characters’ dialog; but I prefer it when writers come up with ways to avoid using them.

Gotten: Sorry, but this is where my Brit blood flows strongly and recoils at what is, to me, the worst of all Americanisms. Since I’ve been in the US for nearly 20 years now, I find myself using this word… but I really, REALLY hate it when I do. The only phrase I don’t mind that uses it is “ill-gotten,” as in “ill-gotten gains.” But otherwise, on my better days, I find ways to avoid using it. Like using “got, obtained, purchased,” or countless other words I used to use before I came to the States.

LIKE

Effervescent: It just bubbles and sparkles on the lips.

Tranquil: This word sounds like a drop of water on a still pond.

Onomatopoeia: You can probably tell that I like words that are onomatopoeic, but I like that word too. It’s unusual, but it bounces around the mouth, as if your tongue’s on a trampoline.

I could spend all day coming up with words to add, so I’ll leave it there. I’m sure others will come up with words I could have added, so be sure to check out the blogs of everyone participating in today’s Road Trip Wednesday!