Since I learned to read, write, listen, speak, and watch, language has taken me places. From a physical point: I’ve lived in Malaysia, Spain, Venezuela, and various states in the U.S. I learned a few words of Chinese at five years old. In summer school before fifth grade, my mother had me take Spanish. In seventh grade and later on in college, I took various courses of French. I took a month of Spanish Basque when I lived in San Sebastian, Spain. While pursuing advanced degrees in Spanish, I took Portuguese and German. The only languages I claim fluency in and have taught are English and Spanish. The other languages keep a firm hold on my attention, and that list grows every year.
From an imagination point: I’ve read thousands of books and articles–some of which transported me to places I can’t physically visit in this lifetime. I must admit that I’ve read much more than I’ve written. I took time off from sharing my writing (almost 19 years) to learn, listen, watch, read, and practice what I wanted to say. For most of those years, I’ve used green, red, and orange inks to edit the works of colleagues, students, friends, and significant others. Along the way, I’ve had wonderful mentors, teachers, and friends who have taught me the importance of a single word or the weight of a phrase. And for now, I’ve been bitten by the bug to start writing and sharing again. I’m not sure for how long I’ll feel the effects of the writing bug–maybe a month, maybe 10 years.
Language is fascinating, no matter how you choose to use it. We use it every day when answering questions from parents and teachers; asking questions of friends; reporting on the latest trends to bosses; texting notes to loved ones; listening to our favorite programs on podcasts, television, or radio. How we choose to use language is up to us. Some use it to delight and inspire others to be their best, others use language to frighten and chill while entertaining us. Others use language to motivate populations to purchase a product or consider a differing viewpoint.
And the best part of language? It’s constantly changing. A single word that meant so much in the rocking ’80s can hold a totally different meaning today. Language itself is not a trend, but many studies are written about the trends of our communities and technologies and how to reach a target audience, all while using the one thing that’s being studied. What’s the new buzzword or tagline? Who will respond to it? Who will ignore it?
No matter how we communicate, language transports us. I know it’s naive, but hopefully it’s somewhere new and fascinating for the reader, listener, speaker, or even the writer. How will you use language today?
For the amor of language 