2011 Highlights and Lowlights in Language

Tis the season for the best and worst of 2011 as the countdown to 2012 commences. Injected with a daily dosage of political and pop culture hots and nots, is there anyone on the planet sans opinion?!  I tried to avoid redeeming my ticket on the blurb bandwagon, but the opportunity to add my three cents was too enticing. So, here are my picks for the 2011’s highlights and lowlights in language:

Highlights:

LYRIC HEIST:

Lifted from the lyrics of Les Miserable, ‘At the end of the day’ earned the high wattage spot.  Whether uttered in mainstream media or celebrity or ordinary people circles, the words gained premium denim traction in 2011. Even Reality TV provided little refuge from the idiom’s broken record. If 2012 ushers it out along with the skinny jeans’ fashion rage, you’ll get no complaints from me. Jeez, talk about phrase overdrive!

A HOT MISNOMER MESS:

Hyped by Facebook and Alec Baldwin’s infamous online game, Words with Friends, the relationship category ‘friend’ reigns as misnomer of the year. Irrespective of research initiated by Pew Internet and American Life Project which yields SM’s popularity to staying connected to friends and family, I suspect boatloads of users are less than forthcoming with the admission that Facebook’s virtual acquaintances aren’t actually deserving of friend status. For some, the attraction is all about feigning loneliness where Facebook is penciled in as a nightly standing appointment. Imagine that! However, in the real world where quality trumps quantity, true friendship requires commitment, loyalty and emotional exchange. Duh!  

Lowlight:

IDENTITY CRISIS 101:

Beyonce and De la Soul are blameless if the catchy tunes (“Me, Myself and I”) they individually recorded are afforded as explanation for improper pronoun usage. Why some refer to themselves in third person is unfathomable as the ingenuity of iPhone4S’ Siri.  “Matt and myself” is so reechy compared to “Matt and I.” Surely, these students were snoozing in class when the English teacher laid the grammatical law. Check out this previous blog post for additional examples of misusage:  http://writewright7.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html

If done so to amplify personal cache, as I assume some professionals in various arenas do, its effect is just the opposite.  Although an admirer of athletic and popular culture phenoms, it is worthy to note that too few revered in celebrity stardom are Kings of English. Conversely, they are more fitting for the communication rodents with million dollar paychecks mold.  If in need of a refresher course, make a beeline here:   http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/myself.html.   

Happy New Year and Happy New You!

Tweeties, Meet the Online Swear Jar

Unless creatively justified, profanity can be brand damning instead of brand enhancing. For example, “Damn Near Obsessed with Steaks,” the ad tag boldly attached to the III Forks brand, effectively punctuates its fine dining product. Via the WSJ electronic news board’s scroll in the office lobby, the ad immediately corralled my attention. If dinnertime, I bet the anticipated succulence of a juicy NY Strip grilled to perfection is making your mouth water, right? The magnetism is adtastic though I’ve yet to indulge in the III Forks flavor.     

However, wherever adults are, both young and old with stunted vocabularies, profanity will also reside. The Internet, of course, is flooded with such along with the likes of authentic brands and brand imposters. Unless they mind their manners, Twitter users who toss profanity with salad frequency will risk subjection to the Online Swear Jar’s wrath.   

According to Urban Daddy, the Online Swear Jar website “scours” your Twitter feed like a pad does grease from a frying pan. If in swearing violation, you’ll be politely prompted for a donation.
Even if this site fails to deter a footballer fat cat like Jabar Gaffney who recently spewed a mouthful of venom following a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps it’s a start in encouraging public forum decorum.   

Now, if only someone would develop an online curse can for combing the N-word’s clutter, the foul language deal would be sealed. Seemingly, LeBron James, portrayed as “The Whore from Akron” in Scott Raab’s book, or someone in his entourage camp missed the politically correct memo about the hurtful term:

LeBron James (@KingJames)
11/16/11 1:35 AM
@HitBoy_SC U got a MONSTER record with that N*gg** in Paris homie!! 5X tonight straight in Miami tonight #Epic

To stay clear of the Profanity Police, keep it Clorox clean, Tweeps! Check out http://charityswearbox.com/.

To Keep Your Twitter Groove, Think and Tweet

Entangled in the unenviable web of sexual abuse charges, Joe Paterno, Jerry Sandusky and Graham Spanier weren’t the only ones who landed in hot water this week. Instead of responding to the scandal's facts, actor Ashton Kutcher fired off an errant tweet that fueled a firestorm of Net rage.

Oblivious to the legal stickiness, Kutcher posted “How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste" at a rattling rate. Ok, so it’s normal for sports-obsessed boys and men to pout about anything and everything athletic but wasn’t Demi’s hubby taught as a child to think before he speaks?! Without fail, the Nikon Camera pitchman should’ve familiarized himself with the subject prior to exposing his ignorance in the ultra public forum of Twitterdom.  

If keeping your Twitter groove in today's new school world of instant communication still invokes a question, take heed from an old school mama: Slow your finger roll and think before you tweet.  

Read more about the man once coined “Mr. Twitter” here:   
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/story/2011-11-10/ashton-kutcher-joe-paterno-tweet/51159424/1

  

Tech & Pop Culture Are Killing Communication Skills

Last month, I read an editorial focusing on education and employability that has never left my craw. Regarding the frequent cry that students aren’t learning what they need to compete for the jobs that do exist, Washington Post Columnist Kathleen Parker also observed “the common experience of employers who can’t find applicants who can express themselves grammatically.”

While Parker’s statement trumpets truth, employers, in turn, have been quick to shift the unemployment blame to the educational system for its lack of technical skill preparedness. But what purpose does technical competence serve when basic communication skills are absent? I mean, how far can one go if unable to articulate his or her thoughts effectively?

Instead of books, parents today are supplying the latest gadgets to their techno-obsessed youth with Twitterspeed. Textersations lined with mistakes have replaced old-fashioned conversations, and what passes youthful muster as music contains lyrics egregious enough grammatically to render an English professor punch drunk.

Technology deserves ample applause, but there’s the potential to be both friend and foe.  After all, the “Keeping up with the Joneses” electronic premium erodes in value when a simple sentence cannot be crafted.  Spoken in the Rodney King vein, can we please get back to the communication basics!?   

All Writing Begins With An Idea

I stumbled upon an interesting WSJ article the other day. If you're a writer, it definitely deserves reading priority. Far from encyclopedic, the introduction packs a Floyd Mayweather punch: "No matter what you're writing—story, novel, poem, essay—the first thing you're going to need is an idea." When it comes to creativity, truer words have never been spoken.

Read further to see how Ann Patchett meticulously weaves her writing fabric: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904106704576580953642498410.html

The OE is Not My Grandfather's Dictionary

With the latest additions of retweet, sexting and cyberbullying, the Oxford English Dictionary continues to rock its technology roll. Widely recognized as household words, the entries were spurred by the communication modernity of mobile phones and Social Media. If you hadn't noticed, words coined for behaviors once non-existent are speedily seeping into mainstream.  The correlation between usage and validation is simply amazing.     

Back in the day, my grandfather constantly admonished me for my frequent use of “oof” to express displeasure at anything and everything. He’d always say “that’s not a word.” Looking back, the sentiment I expressed was probably more grunt than word, but I doubt that he would’ve fathomed entries like “oof” or “sexting” gracing any dictionary’s page.       

If here today, I’d revel in sharing with him how the word game has drastically changed. I can’t help but ponder what his reaction might have been had he lived to see the landline’s decline in the new communication era. Had he been a contemporary, perhaps he’d relax the traditional English rules long enough to utter ‘OMG.’ Yes, gramps, OMG has also gained acceptance as a word.             

 Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/oed-now-includes-retweet-sexting-and-cyberbullying/2011/08/19/gIQAFAXXQJ_blog.html

Creativity + Credibility Equals Writing Success

Growing up, I revered reading more than dolling up Barbie. In fact, I gained an appreciation for the traveling privileges books afforded without having to pack a bag early on. Following my first love affair with Dr. Seuss’ colorful series, J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” catapulted to my pre-collegiate favorite.

Of late, authors like Colson Whitehead, Jen Lancaster, Kathryn Stockett, and Sharifa Rhodes-Pitt have registered on my reading radar. Fast forward past the sterling credentials and Hollywood commercialization and their collective commitment to literary mastery is unmistakable. Still, I remain awed by the devices writers use to stamp their storytelling signatures since the creative writing process is exhaustive beyond pen, paper or keystrokes. 

Today, the ascension from aspiring writer to author is abbreviated in the digital age. While exposure to an array of new voices signals a reading bonanza, I have witnessed instances where some writers relegate quality to the back seat. Without fail, anyone who claims to wear the writing crown should extend the same attention to creativity to credibility. So, what’s credibility got to do with it? Everything, I’m afraid. If you’re serious about your craft, consider these suggestions for building credibility:

1.     What sets a good writer apart from a marginal one is adherence to grammatical and structural excellence, whether tweeting, posting to Facebook or blogging.   Your “A-Game,” inclusive of proofreading, should always be on.    

2.      Although some writers have been blessed with God-given talent, honing these skills via the scholastic route can produce polished results. If a full-fledged academic program is out of reach, seek instruction in a few specialized courses. You must continuously invest in your success to sharpen your storytelling weaknesses.    

3.     Like life, variety is writing’s spice. Make studying accomplished writers of different genres a habit. If you borrow from any author’s style, always emulate the best. 

4.      Join a book club. Because learning is not limited to the classroom, take advantage of opportunities to absorb the interpretations of fellow readers. Most readers are quite candid about their literary pluses and minuses. Furthermore, their insights are not only invaluable but often applicable to your work in terms of forging a strong audience connection.

5.     Do your research and never publish for byline’s sake alone. Sometimes it’s not advantageous, especially when the publication with which you align isn’t beholden to literary excellence.