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Four letter words and the rest . .
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Four letter words and the rest . . I just shared this on another blog, and felt I really need to share it here, just in case I haven't already. I don't have a problem with men who swear, as I tell them I don't swear because I can express myself. Then I also share that I don't argue, because I can explain myself. If they continue to swear, I now know their IQ is perhaps the opposite to mine!  This is when I locate the exit, and promptly use it, preferably long term. Now there is this other issue of language, complicated, easy? Here I have a different rule. If someone doesn't understand what I am saying to them, then my language is too complicated at that time. I feel the way to speak most of the time, is in uncomplicated language, as in easy words, and mostly in an easy to understand way. There will always be a situation where the exception to the rule applies, as with everything in life. I understand big words, as long as they are genuine, and don't have a problem with a smattering of big words here and there. To me, there is "TAFE" language (Technical And Further Education), and there is University language. I once asked someone the difference between the two, as I was trying to decide which one to attend for a course I was planning. I was told that TAFE teaches you how to do it. At university, you find out why you do it (as well). I looked at the person and smiled. I thanked them. I really wanted to know how to do this particular thing quickly. I did not want to hang around discovering why, or the history, or what's behind it. I just wanted to know how to do it, so I enrolled in a short TAFE course that year, and I was very happy with the outcomes. I have never forgotten that advice, as it has always made my decision easy since then. If I want it for the whys and wherefores, then uni is the answer, and if I want it simple, then TAFE is the go. That easy. Now of course there is TAFE and University language. Well, sort of. It all depends on the course, and the complexity of what you are actually studying. If you are studying photography, the first big word you will have to learn is "photography"!  and what that means! Sorry! It is true! Simple words like focus and frame will of course be no drama, however in every subject, you can almost be guaranteed that there will be at least one big or obscure word, and you just need to learn them at the time, along with their meaning. Then there is university language, where there seem to be fifty new large words almost every five minutes! Well not quite, only it can feel that way. The gist is that TAFE language is simple, and quite a large amount of it, is very easy. University language however, is far more complicated and frustrating to a novice.As not everyone is gifted with the ability to deal with almost anything, and even really clever people can have blonde moments, I try to always chat in easy language, unless necessary. This tends to avoid all the "duh??" moments. I tend to ask others to do the same. As soon as the topic becomes technical, not an issue, big words relevant to the theme should be used, as long as they are in context. Once upon a time, when I was a very little girl, I saw the moon up in the sky. It looked strange and very big and round. Way down below, and in the distance, I saw two figures, with bicycles heading towards me. They looked a lot like those black stick figures you sometimes see in paintings. As they neared, either they or I struck up a touch of conversation. I was less than five years old, and to me they were about<b> eighteen </font></b>at the time, only today, I do suspect they were just young teenagers. They asked if I could see the man in the moon. I just looked at them, and said "no?" They said "have a look, you can see his face, he lives in the moon". HUH??? I looked at them in amazement, as nobody had ever told me there was a man in the moon, and I believed every word they told me. After they left, whenever I was supposed to, I went home to Mum, and told her about these big university people. Uh, yes, they told me they went to university too. I repeated everything they said, and she laughingly told me that it wasn't true, but yes, the moon looks like there is a face in it. I was totally confused at this stage, because I had believed everything they said, and I had never had anyone lie to me before in my life, at least not that I was aware, and I had no idea as to what 'not true' or 'lies' were. For years, I looked for a term, phrase or word that I could use to describe these people, as they had used big words, yes, the long variety that I did not understand, and totally bamboozled me with what I had thought was their knowledge. Over the years I met other people like that, and they always claimed to have a degree, or be university students, at least until I passed that age. Then they just claimed to have a degree, and I always believed that without question. Today I am not so easily impressed, and one day, as a young , I did come up with a description of this kind of person. I call them "university belligerent". You need to look that word up if you don't know it, because if I tell you the meaning, you are likely to forget it. By looking it up yourself, you are far more likely to remember the meaning, and then you will have the pleasure of feeling confident to use the word when it is relevant. It's because of people like that, that I took a teacher's advice in my very young days, and looked up every word that I did not understand. When I wanted to know things, I'd have to either go to the library to look things up in an encyclopaedia, or if I was lucky, use one at a friend's place. Then one day we had encyclopaedias and after that I was able to use them lots, and I did. To this day, I look things up whenever I don't know them. Unlike back then, I can now look up several sources or references to find out what I want to know, as online, you can read lots of search results, or in a library reference section, you can look up several books, which means that you can compare answers and work out for yourself how accurate the information you have found is. It's all quite wonderful for someone who grew up firstly without encyclopaedias, and then with only limited access to resources, because computers and internet were only a dream, yet to be realised. So there's some thinking material for you. I do hope you enjoy.
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