The Secret Life of Words: How Language is Invented, Corrupted, and Saved
Every word you use is a time traveler. It carries the echoes of its birth, the scars of its misuse, and the weight of a hundred different meanings. We often treat language as a static, pre-existing tool, a dictionary with set rules. But the truth is far more dynamic and, at times, dangerous. Words are not born by democratic consensus; they are invented, twisted, and saved by us, the people who use them.
The Birth of a Word: An Act of Creation, Not Consensus
New words, or neologisms, are not the result of a public vote. They are an act of individual or small-group creation. A person sees a gap in the language and coins a term to fill it. Sometimes, this happens by accident. The word "sandwich," for instance, is famously said to have originated from the Earl of Sandwich, who wanted a convenient way to eat meat without a fork during a long card game. He needed a word for his new meal, and so he created one.
More often, words are born out of necessity. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as technology exploded, we needed a language to describe it. "E-mail," "blog," and "app" were all coined to name entirely new concepts. Similarly, "selfie" became the perfect term for a specific kind of self-portrait, capturing a cultural phenomenon in a single, snappy word. The inventor of the word doesn’t have to be a genius; they just have to be in the right place at the right time. The real work begins after that.
The Great Filter: Why Most Words Fail
The invention of a word is only the first step. For a word to survive and become part of our collective lexicon, it must pass through a kind of linguistic natural selection. Most invented words fail. They are either too clunky, too specific, or simply not needed.
The words that succeed are the ones that are adopted by the masses. This process is a messy, decentralized, and often unconscious form of democracy. A word gets passed from one person to the next, used in conversation, written in articles, and shared on social media. It only becomes a "real" word when the collective decides it’s useful, easy to remember, and worthy of a place in their shared vocabulary. So while a word’s birth may be singular, its life is a collective endeavor.
The Corruption of Meaning: How Words Are Twisted by Power
This collective process, however, is not immune to influence. As words travel through time and culture, they can be co-opted and corrupted, often by those in power. This isn't an accident; it's a deliberate act. Words can be used to reframe reality, sanitize atrocities, and manipulate public opinion.
This is a subtle form of linguistic manipulation, where a word’s meaning is intentionally distorted to serve an agenda. This leads to a profound problem: different definitions beget different expectations, which beget conflicts.
Think of the word "love" in a relationship. One person may say, "But you said you love me!" while their partner responds, "Yes, I do, and I still love you." The communication gap isn't because one is lying; it's because their personal dictionaries of "love" are completely different. One person’s love might be a commitment, while the other's is constant expressed affection. The same word holds a different meaning for each.
In the corporate world, this becomes even more pronounced. The word
"efficiency" is a classic example. To a business leader, it may mean streamlining processes and maximizing output. To an employee, it might be a chilling euphemism for cutting jobs. The word is used to signal a positive outcome while hiding a painful reality.
How to Save a Word: The Power of Etymological Reasoning
So, how do we fix this? How do we bridge the communication gap that exists in our boardrooms, our homes, and our political discourse?
The answer lies in a simple but powerful technique: Etymological Reasoning.
It’s a method that helps us stop and ask: what does this word really mean? By stripping away the layers of personal assumption and corporate jargon, we can return to the word’s original intent.
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Be Curious: Don't assume you know what someone means. Ask clarifying questions like, "When you say 'soon,' what timeframe are you thinking of?" or "What does 'success' look like to you in this context?"
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Be Specific: Instead of using vague terms, try to articulate your meaning with concrete examples.
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Explore Origins: As I explore in my coaching through Etymological Reasoning, understanding the historical roots of a word can shed light on its core meaning and help bridge modern distortions.
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Seek Clarity, Not Agreement (Initially): The goal isn't necessarily to force everyone to adopt your definition, but to understand each other's perspectives. Agreement can come later, built on a foundation of mutual understanding.
By doing this, we move from just talking at each other to talking with each other. We replace assumption with clarity. We stop relying on our personal, often flawed, dictionaries and start building a new, shared one based on a mutual understanding of language.
Words are the foundation of our reality. They are not merely labels; they are concepts, emotions, and intentions made manifest. By understanding their history and fighting for their original meaning, we can save our conversations from the very thing that was meant to connect them: our language.
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