Words are among our most powerful tools. They link people together, helping them understand each other, building relationships, and conveying useful information. The words “I do” transform a man and woman into a single unit in God’s eyes and men’s. “You can do it” can give a child the confidence to try something new. Words can also wound people, damaging in seconds a relationship or career that took years to build, whether you meant to cause harm or not.

Words are tricky. Most of them have extra information (the “connotation”) attached beyond the literal meaning (“denotation”), hints of color and association that affect how other people understand what we mean. Consider the word “brother”. Literally it means a male child who shares the same parents as another child. But depending on the speaker and context, it could also mean a member of one’s same college fraternity, a man of the one’s same race, a man of one’s own religion (often Christian), or simply a man who shares some other quality or belief, and any of those meanings could have positive or negative emotions associated with it. Words’ meanings can change over time and from country to country or region to region, as well. For example, a “toboggan” is a type of flat-bottomed sled, but some people use it to mean a type of hat. The word “bloody” means “covered in blood” in America but is an offensive swear word in the UK. The word “gay” used to mean “happy”. English is so complex that it’s a wonder we can communicate at all!

I try to choose the right words to convey my point with accuracy and color, especially when I write. Sometimes I succeed and produce a piece that truly moves someone, or makes them question one of their sacred cows, or wins the grant, or helps clarify something at work. Other times I fail, and my words confuse people even more or accidentally hurt their feelings, and I’m sorry for those mistakes. Thanks to all of you for indulging my need to express myself here. Since I’m not a talkative person, this site helps keep me sane, happy, and self-actualized. I hope you continue to gain something from it as well.