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I am so hungry, I could literally eat a cow: false
I literally hate when people make statements like this: fact
The reality is that "literally" is ridiculously overused. That being said, that's not my pet peeve as many words are ridiculously overused. My pet peeve is that "literally" is ridiculously misused. People throw around the word "literally" in sentences where it simply does not belong. This word has fallen victim to the Age of English Ignorance. Let's face it, most young people no longer write in full sentences, capitalize proper nouns or spell words correctly. These are some issues I will tackle in a future blog. But the most annoying thing to me in this era is the misuse of words, giving them new meanings.
"Literally" has become a word of emphasis. Instead of saying, "This car is sweet," "This whip is jig to the ankles," "This is one happening ride" or any other similar phrase from days gone by, the modern teenager might say, "This is literally the most amazing car ever!" It's hyperbole at it's finest, except that it's completely changing the meaning of the word "literally."
"No big deal," you might say. "That's not a sensible pet peeve," you might posit. And you may be right, except for the following discovery I made when looking up the definition of "literally":
Definition Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary (m-w.com)
1. : in a literal sense or manner : ACTUALLY [took the remark literally] [literally insane]
2. : in effect : VIRTUALLY [will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty and injustice - Norman Cousins]
2. : in effect : VIRTUALLY [will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty and injustice - Norman Cousins]
Did you notice that too? Merriam-Webster has added the modern young people's use of the word as an appropriate definition. Instead of maintaining the integrity of the word, they simply re-defined it to fit with this sub-culture. The majority of people do not use "literally" in this way. No wonder English is such a tough language to learn...they can change a definition at a whim. "Are you sure that hasn't been the definition for some time?" you might ask. Call me old fashioned, but I have a physical, tangible dictionary on my book shelf. Naturally I checked the definition out of curiosity with regard to this question I asked myself. Here's what I found:
Definition Source: Webster's II New College Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston. Copyright 2001)
1. In a strict or literal sense.
2. Really : actually ["There are people in the world who literally do not know how to boil water" - Craig Claiborne]
This definition from 10 years ago makes no mention of the internet version's 2nd definition. Merriam-Webster completely changed the definition of the word...and quite significantly.
Misusing words is a pet peeve, but this is my biggest pet peeve. It's bad that young people have butchered the word "literally" but the fact that the dictionary changed to accommodate them is inexcusable.
I am literally done with this blog post at the end of this sentence.
10 comments:
Did I read correctly in your information that you are a pastor? A lot of your posts seem very judgemental. I realize you are just a person, but isn't it part of the point of religion not to judge others? Don't you think you are doing your parishioners a disserice being their pastor? Shouldn't you be teaching them how to "love thy neighbor" instead of how to judge them? I am not trying to discourage you from expressing yourself, but it just seems a little hypocritical.
Thanks for the response. It is true that I am a youth pastor. I am no different from most any other pastor/person except that I am open and honest about my feelings. This blog posts are random things that many people think about. This blog is not meant to be spiritual, just fun. That being said, I see no sin or hypocracy in my posts. If you read my posts, you'll read that I am guilty of many of my "complaints." These complaints are said in jest and in fun. At the end of the day, I don't care who says "literally." It just makes for some fun fodder. Also, I never rip people, simply things we tend to do. Let's face it, we can be pretty annoying and obnoxious at times. I have never encouraged anyone to judge other people. I think that's a bit of a stretch. I do find it a little humorous that you're accusing me of judging people in a quite judgmental manner. I love all people, no matter what! But that does not mean that I love al things people do. That's what makes discussions fun though in the end. Sorry you seem to be let down by my blogs, but I'm just having some recreational fun that LITERALLY hurts no one.
Oh, and it's also worth noting that most of my posts are not judgmental at all. Most are random things about myself. I think it's unfair to throw out an ambiguous term like "a lot" when it's simply not the case. Only occasionally do I deal with pet peeves. Do you have any? I bet you do. We all do. I'm not expecting people to change on my account. But I'm not expecting to start loving these things either. If you caught the word play of this title based on what the blog had to say, you might realize that it's not literally my biggest pet peeve ever either. That was a simple case of hyperbole to further my point.
I don't think you're judgemental, pmike. you're literally being honest. and you're right, everyone loves that word, apparently. i use it out of place, sometimes, now that i think about it. (ps. that camera come today?)
(pps. that BABY come today?) :P
I apologize if you felt that I was being judgemental of you. I was simply trying to understand where you are coming from. I did say you were being hypocritical but never said anything about it being sinful. I have found in my years of organized religion a great deal of judgement and of people thinking that they are better than others, so maybe you are right about my being judgemental of you here. Maybe I was looking for a reason to jump on you simply because I saw you were a pastor. (I really consider myself a very open minded person, though.) I also apologize for saying a lot of your posts. I realize that was an unfair and presumptuous statement given that I have only read a few of your posts and the other one I was referring to was the one where you yourself said you were judgemental about what other people bought at the grocery store. Because I don't know you personally I don't know the tone in which you are making these statements, but I still hold my ground that both this post and the other post come off sounding judgemental. In fact, the final statement in the other post actually sounds (to me) like you are looking for someone to justify your judgement. I know it seems that I am making a big deal out of something you do for fun, but I am really just trying to understand (not judge). Maybe it is too difficult for me to "hear" your intended jesting by simply reading what you write.
The thing that annoys me most about this is that English is such a precise language, that those of us who bother to understand it can communicate very effectively and efficiently. By introducing definitions that are not only alternates, but in fact opposites, we muddy the waters to the point that nobody can be sure what we really mean anymore. Then our statements are open to too much interpretation, instead of bringing clarity. Is it possible that this is a moral-relativist plot to hijack the English language by making all words relative?
I'm sorry that you felt that way in reading my blogs. I was in no way trying to justify a judgmental attitude. I'm simply being honest. The truth is that when I shop, I find myself being judgmental. I never said it was a good quality. And I judge the food, not the integrity of the people. If you read the full sample of my work or knew me personally, I think you would quickly find that I'm a fun-loving guy who likes to write. If you knew me, you'd know how much of an effort I put forth to be non-judgmental. But you don't know me, so maybe I should be more clear to include my jesting nature in my blogs for your and others' benefits. I never mean to offend, only to entertain. This blog is my way of not taking things too seriously. Therein lies the irony of it all. Thanks for your input and comments. I appreciate them. Wise men accept reproof. I think I'm better than nobody and I know that I'm not always in the right. I knew my intentions here. Where I failed was in getting those intentions across.
Cassidy, you absolutely crack me up. I was literally dying laughing (hehe) when I read your PPS. Polly laughed too! Thanks for having my back too. I know you know I'm not judgmental. I appreciate the support. You're a good tween.
P.S. Yes, I started messing around with it a little. I'm so excited. It's charging right now.
P.P.S. No, no baby yet. I'm just patiently waiting :)
I wanted to be an English major if not a pastor. I am not a fan of the watering down of the language. That being said, I too am a victim at times. I fight it, but I fall into the trap. In brighter news, I do have a blog from 2008 (I believe) that is a poem I wrote pointing out the grammatical elements of the language in whimsical irony.
Nice blog entry you have here. I've thought of that just now. Thanks for sharing. :)
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