Wasted words could describe so many of our conversations with each other, yet it isn’t until the importance of sharing a common language becomes critical, that we get serious about making sure we understand one another. The problem many of us experience communicating with each other may start with one trying to carry on a simple conversation. Throw in a few words that have gone out of style from lack of use and all of the parties participating end up walking away wondering what was said. Add conversationalists of all ages and watch confusion soon ensue.
Remembering an interview with an elderly quilter so many years ago brought it all back.
“Wait, honey. I will get you that receipt I promised to give you.”
“Don’t worry Ma’am, it’s OK, you don’t need to do that.”
She hustled to the kitchen for the missing piece of paper and when she returned I understood the problem. She hadn’t been looking for a business transaction statement but a recipe. I was embarrassed as that one word changed the entire meaning of the original conversation. She had taken the time to jot down the instructions for baking her prized cinnamon rolls.
Regional dialects, acronyms, or slang can only add to the confusion. The workplace is the perfect place to find more than a few examples of this. It becomes especially difficult when an action is expected after the conversation takes place. “Mash the button,” used to be one southern version for telling someone to turn off the light, or lock the car. Instructing a disembodied voice on an electronic device makes for a communication challenge of its own.
Trying to keep up with changes in language usage can be exhausting. One might think that it could be a deterrent to those who tend to blab on and on. Take it from someone who has been accused of saying too much, too often, it won’t work. The temptation to have the last word is too strong, especially if it is a familiar phrase that fits the occasion perfectly.
By DOLLY VISCARDI – Special to the Herald Times
