January 22, 2003
The Language Sucks, err stinks
One of the thing you find out when you attempt to write anything with precision, is that the English language is amazingly limited and imprecise when attempting to describe feelings, among other things. For the record Greek has three words for love they are:
- Agape - to love others in a social or moral sense: This is an act of the will, an active choice--the highest form of love meaning that it is unconditional
- Philos - a brotherly love: Affection, emotionally based
- Eros - Sexual love--from which comes the word erotic
Still seems to be incredibly limiting. Thus this is what poetry is for... too bad I don't seem to enjoy writing it.
In other language considerations, an observation I've made is how negative words in the language (sucks, fucked, dicked, screwed, asshole, "remove the stick up your ass", etc) have sexual connotations, and even more specifically have positive connotations for gay men.
Of course, there is the connotations of "straight" meaning directly forward, correct, or error free. Of course this implicitly states that by not being heterosexual, you are backward, incorrect, and full of errors. Yea! Isn't language fun? Its amazing how its so implicitly used to oppress people, and this is just a small beginning I guess.
But its time to get naked and get a shower and get to class..
brilliant!
i was just looking through google for 'i hate the english language' websites, and this was presented before me, archived...
maybe it's due to the job i have, in which the language is shredded beyond belief...or when i want to write poetry, and the language can't twist or turn in the directions i choose and i have to make up words to bridge the gap...but it's become intolerable recently...
thank you very much for writing this!
i am going to learn latin as soon as possible...
"Of course, there is the connotations of "straight" meaning directly forward, correct, or error free. Of course this implicitly states that by not being heterosexual, you are backward, incorrect, and full of errors. Yea! Isn't language fun? Its amazing how its so implicitly used to oppress people, and this is just a small beginning I guess. "
looking at what are positive connotations for gay men why wouldnt you expect that the population would adopt such connotations stating that people who dont suck fuck and shove things up their asses are "strait"
go take your shower