by Barry Williams

Created on: November 14, 2007

Don't you just love the way people get into a lather of sweat over perfectly normal words in the English language? Oh boy! I have just probably upset some minority groups who have taken offense to the word "English." No doubt they are Americans and would insist that they speak "American language" which of course everybody knows, only has a vague resemblance to the English language.

No matter what you say there is bound to be objection by the minority groups. A spade is never a spade ,if for some reason the minority groups insist you should employ the term "digging implement" for fear of offending spades. Trouble is that once you refer to spade as a digging implement nobody has a clue as to what digging implement you are describing. Somehow a digging implement with a meter long handle attached to a rectangular piece of metal still doesn't clarify matters ,however if you are allowed to say spade then it becomes clear.

It's not really what you say it's how you say it. Take for instance a teacher who wants to advise a student's parents that their child is a slow learner . By putting emphasis on certain words in the same sentence entirely different meanings can be derived ;-

"Mrs Brown I think your child IS retarded in his reading ability"
"Mrs Brown I think your child is RETARDED in his reading ability"
"MRS BROWN I THINK YOUR CHILD is retarded in his READING ABILITY"

Read the same sentence yourself only this time place the emphasis on different words and you will discover that many implications of implied discrimination can be derived or none at all.

Words themselves are not discriminatory it is what and how we employ them. It seems we have to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid blunt descriptive nouns and replace them with other nouns and adjectives which have exactly the same meaning but sound less offensive and serve to placate the delicate ears of the minority groups.

So if you don't like this article and think it was written by someone retarded in their command of the English language I won't take offense at the word retarded. If however you want to infer that I am "Verbally challenged " then I may well take offense. Just be careful. You see it not what you say , it's how you say it.

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