Spring Break
A crisis in the making
Definition of 'marriage' is changing
Greg Karber
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Opinion
In the Bible, marriage is defined as a legal agreement between a man and a woman for tax purposes and also so they don't go to hell for having sex. A growing number of (elderly, conservative and otherwise generally out-of-touch) concerned citizens are, well, concerned about the protection of this traditional definition of marriage.
I could not agree more.
Word definitions are sacred, immutable things. Marriage - like all other words - has one true meaning, now and forever, and we should fight with our lives to keep it like that.
But marriage isn't the only word we need to worry about. Thousands of words are just floating out there, their definitions slowly eroding, becoming bastardized, and I'll tell you right here: it's got to be stopped.
Some words are simply being used incorrectly. How about a constitutional amendment banning people who say that they "literally" laughed their heads off during a film (and mandating that we arrest those who say the phrase in reference to any film starring Rob Schneider or directed by David Zucker post-'80s)?
But more importantly - and more relevant to our current discussion on "marriage" - words are simply changing over time.
For example, "egregious" used to mean something was very good, but now it means something is very bad. That's the exact opposite! Also, in the '80s - and now, to a lesser extent - people sometimes use the word "bad" to refer to something good. (As in, "Who's bad? I'm bad.")
Sometimes, I have heard, a person says "no" when they really mean "yes," perhaps the most egregious (or, traditionally speaking, un-egregious) example of this bastardization of our English language, though I have heard that this particular linguistic interpretation does not hold up in court.
The Amazon.com product description for a book by Sol Steinmetz called "Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning" explains that "adamant" used to be a synonym for "diamond," and "silly" used to mean "blessed."
I could not agree more.
Word definitions are sacred, immutable things. Marriage - like all other words - has one true meaning, now and forever, and we should fight with our lives to keep it like that.
But marriage isn't the only word we need to worry about. Thousands of words are just floating out there, their definitions slowly eroding, becoming bastardized, and I'll tell you right here: it's got to be stopped.
Some words are simply being used incorrectly. How about a constitutional amendment banning people who say that they "literally" laughed their heads off during a film (and mandating that we arrest those who say the phrase in reference to any film starring Rob Schneider or directed by David Zucker post-'80s)?
But more importantly - and more relevant to our current discussion on "marriage" - words are simply changing over time.
For example, "egregious" used to mean something was very good, but now it means something is very bad. That's the exact opposite! Also, in the '80s - and now, to a lesser extent - people sometimes use the word "bad" to refer to something good. (As in, "Who's bad? I'm bad.")
Sometimes, I have heard, a person says "no" when they really mean "yes," perhaps the most egregious (or, traditionally speaking, un-egregious) example of this bastardization of our English language, though I have heard that this particular linguistic interpretation does not hold up in court.
The Amazon.com product description for a book by Sol Steinmetz called "Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning" explains that "adamant" used to be a synonym for "diamond," and "silly" used to mean "blessed."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Raymond
posted 11/22/08 @ 9:58 AM CST
I'm tickled. LOL
Floyd
posted 11/24/08 @ 12:29 PM CST
Bravo: as a cheer, "well done!,"... from It., lit. "brave."
Your column is both well done and brave. Bravo, Mr. Karber.
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