RHYS BOWEN: Our society is losing many things: civility, culture, empathy but above all WORDS. The young generation communicates with texts. LOL WTF etc. During Covid my rather shy granddaughter was confined to her room and not doing well. I suggested she call some friends to chat. Nobody chats, Nana, she said.
I saw an interview on TV with a juvenile offender. When he spoke he sounded angry all the time and every third sentence was "Know what I mean? Know what I mean?" The problem was we didn't know what he meant because he lacked the words to express it.
My grandmother and great aunt had huge vocabularies. They spoke in complete sentences. They read extensively. Maybe the Victorian era was in some ways the high point of civilization. So many inventions, good literature, a relatively peaceful world. of course we won't mention colonial domination, awful slums, child labor... but I feel we have gone downhill from there. Two world wars, the rise of technology and, worst of all for us writers, the drop in reading. We are now writing for an elite few, most of them in the older generation. When they are gone will there be anyone else who wants to read as an escape?
My daughter teaches at a fabulous Montessori school, K-8. Their library is open during lunch hour and my daughter says it is always full of kids sprawled on couches and bean bags reading their favorite books. They also have a period every day called DEAR. Drop Everything And Read.
If only more schools were like that. But I feel we are all to blame. I notice my own vocabulary is limited these days. "Where did we put that thing? That whatsit? How are you? I'm good. Not I'm well, which is correct. I am trying to keep or recover some sort of vocabulary. I subscribe to something called Word Genius that sends me a new word every day. Some days I feel smug because I already know it. Other days it's like today:
No, I have never used that word in my life! I probably never will, but there are some words I think I know but I don't really. When John was saying that something was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard I commented that he should stop resorting to hyperbole. That felt good.
But I saw this list the other day. I think I know all of these words. Do you? And how do you think we can stop this horrible erosion of culture?
So who got a perfect score?
And do you have any suggestions about how we can improve our vocabularies and get kids to read? Harry Potter was amazing as it hooked a whole generation. Maybe we should stop writing for adults and write some more arresting children's lit.
I wish I did have an idea of how to get the kids to read, but, since phones and game apps seem to be here to stay, I am clueless . . . .
ReplyDeleteOne of my big worries, too, Rhys! Reader's Digest had a regular feature of interesting words, called Towards a More Colorful Language, if I remember correctly. They had other fun and educational features, as well.
ReplyDeleteI had at one time known absquatulate, but had forgotten that remarkable word. And four in the list are new to me. I'll have to share this with my stepsis here in England. She also loves words and language, in English, Latin, French and German.
Back when I worked for City of LA, we had forms we had to fill out for taking vacation, sick time, etc. If you were taking sick time, you had to check a box stating that you missed work due to an actual illness and not “moral turpitude.” I don’t know if many people knew what that phrase meant.
ReplyDeleteI lovingly seeing words, either in English or other languages, that perfectly describe something I would otherwise need a phrase for. It can tell you a lot about the culture, geography or weather. Like dreich for dull and gloomy weather in Scotland, or the Japanese word kuchisabishii for eating because your mouth is lonely.
Well, I had at least heard of 11 of the words in the list , not that I knew what they all meant.
ReplyDeleteThe Lemony Snicket books also have good vocabulary building words in them.
I read that even though the percentage of adults who read for pleasure is declining, the number of adults who read to their children is remaining steady. To me that means parents are not modeling that reading books is something adults do which might be contributing to the abandonment of reading as children get older. So the solution is not to substitute writing children’s books for writing for adults, but to promote reading for all. Some libraries do this by selecting a community reads book each year with companion YA and children’s books with the same or similar theme. I’ve also seen a rise in Summer Reading programs for all ages.
Put down the phones! Talk to your children!
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite memories of kids and grandchildren are of me reading to them. A book I love to give to new parents is Richard Scarry's BIG WORD BOOK. It has pages of vocabulary, the name for everyday items throughout the house and in other places kids might go with a cute story.
ReplyDeleteI still learn vocabulary from reading. I knew most of the words on the list but rarely use them in speech. Your word of the day is a new one to me. If I said, "He absquatulated after one drink at the bar," what do you think people would imagine he did?
I would imagine a bad physical reaction.
DeleteOh, that reminds me. Old fashioned curses were frequently much more colorful and amusing. A Yiddish curse Irwin used to say, I think it was a favorite of his grandmother, "You should grow like an onion!" The first time he said it I said, "Huh?" "You know," he said, "with your head in the ground."
ReplyDelete"Hey, your mother wears combat boots." ( Now a compliment, no longer a curse.)
I know 12 of the words...I have no idea how to get kids to read.
ReplyDeleteYes, I knew most of those words, except for 2. But that doesn't mean I would ever use these words in a conversation. Learning multiple languages (Japanese, English, French, German) certainly helped to expand my knowledge of words and vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteAre spelling bees still part of school curriculum? Word games such as Scrabble forced the players to use obscure words.