Comments on: Why the Words You Use Matter So Much

By: Richard | RichardShelmerdine.com

Richard | RichardShelmerdine.com — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:44:16 +0000

What you say and think is so essential. I heard a great quote from Karen Bell which says "Every work you say is an affirmation". It's true and shapes your view of reality. .-= Richard | RichardShelmerdine.com´s last blog ..Receiving Guidance From Your Role Models =-.

By: Ali

Ali — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:50:26 +0000

Hahah!

I’ve lived in the UK all my life and some of those words weren’t familiar to me (I suspect they’re regional). I’ve never before heard of “The best of British” to mean luck for instance. And some of those words are quite old-fashioned, though you’d still hear them from older folks.

If you ever need a Brit view on a word, just nab me on Twitter…

By: Nathalie Lussier

Nathalie Lussier — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:25:08 +0000

Ohmy – I don’t know how I missed this post! Thanks so much for shedding some light on how much words matter. I took a gander at the list of UK words and had to laugh a few times, mostly because I lived in the UK for 4 months and heard some of these things and yet I didn’t know what the true meaning was for a lot of them!

And yes – great convo, had to be there. No fanny packs. I also read Pace & Kyeli’s book “The Usual Error” and it rocks my socks! I think it’s one of those things we assume we’re good at (communicating) but really there’s so much to learn and practice with.
.-= Nathalie Lussier´s last blog ..Raw Food Fight #2 – Choosing Raw’s Gena Hamshaw =-.

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:57:13 +0000

It was a great end to the night… hehehe!

Yeah, “The Usual Error” really spoke to me too. I like the fact that it’s not just about communication in a very technical or abstract way, it’s about who we are on the inside, and how we need to respect that other people are not “us”.

Maybe this is one of the reasons I like writing fiction — it challenges me to try to *think* as someone else.

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:55:21 +0000

Thanks Hilary, glad you enjoyed it! I think it’s an area where we do need to be a little self-aware: words are so crucial to our relationships with everyone from our partners to our clients, that choosing the right ones should get a bit of thought at times.

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:54:21 +0000

Wise words from your dad, Raam! I think words have a lot of power (and interesting points about the *sounds* of words … “work” has quite a harsh sound with that end “k”, doesn’t it?)

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:53:15 +0000

Hurrah, Chris, thanks for chipping in with that! Yes, the English language wouldn’t be nearly as fun if our words didn’t have all sorts of associations and nuances and subtle shades of meaning. In fiction, particularly, I love that.

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:52:20 +0000

Thanks Marcus! Glad I could make you think.

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:51:36 +0000

Great point about choosing the right moment — yes, if you’re in the middle of a heated discussion, asking for clarification might not be appropriate. Thanks for adding that!

By: Ali

Ali — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 09:50:38 +0000

Oh no… it’s awful when something like that happens, because it’s not anyone’s fault, just a mis-communication. I think all we can do is take a moment to breathe when we think we’ve been insulted, and ask calmly, “When you said X, did you mean..?”