Huh?

Language is both volatile and subjective. A word can imply something completely different to you than it does to me – or worse, something slightly different, just enough to skew but not enough to be obvious.

Let’s put it another way. When you hear “blue” you think of a particular shade that’s different from the one I see in my head. Fine and good. It’s hard to think of a situation where that would matter. But for other words, those little nuances can shift the meaning into a whole n’other ballpark.

What do we intend when we say things? I think most ordinary conversation communicates emotions, not ideas. “How are you?” can translate to “I like you and I am pleased to see you now” as much as it can “Ugh, you again! I’ll be polite until I can get away, which I hope will be soon.” The particular word choices are less significant here, the feelings affect the flow.

But, and it’s a big but, when the feelings are complex or strong or potentially conflicting, the words matter – whether we’re hearing them or saying them. Our personal interpretations can inflame the most innocent comment. This is why I am starting to think that feeling may supersede meaning.

That’s heresy coming from me, given my lifelong love of narrative and philosophy. Meaning used to be the crown, and words the jewels of which it was made. But where there is genuine goodwill, we ought to be able to transcend verbal differences. I ought to be able to. With one hand on my beloved paper dictionary, I’m going to try to. We’ll see how long that lasts.