Meanings of words that are often exaggerated.
I found this comic on theoatmeal.com, It's a website I like to visit that has a bunch of sarcastic comics that can relate to anyone. This comic highlights how over time, the word 'literally' has evolved into a slang word used to tell stories. By definition, the word literally means actually or without exaggeration. Yet, the general public never really use the word for its meaning at all anymore. For example, If someone were to hear the sentence, "I literally peed my pants laughing so hard!! LOL!" Then the person listening would know that they didn't actually pee their pants, they're just exaggerating.
Clearly every language has it's own form of sarcasm, but what if someone learning english as a second language heard this sentence. Would they take it for the real meaning and be totally disgusted by the person. Or would they understand that the speaker was being sarcastic? What if you were in another country that speaks a different language and you used the word 'literally' in a sarcastic form like the example used above. The person your talking to would be repulsed by you. I find it interesting that the word literally has evolved overtime to be used more in sarcastic situations then for its actual meaning. I want to propose a challenge for the class. To think of other words that have lost their literal meaning to sarcasm. One example that I have thought of is the word 'Nazi' in America. If someone calls someones else a Nazi, they don't mean that they are a member of the Nazi political party (hopefully), but that they are just a person that someone doesn't like.
That is true. There are plenty of words that have changed in their meanings, sometimes to mean quite the opposite of their original meanings. For example, the phrase “That’s tight!” would have literally meant that something was tight fitting in times past. That could have a negative connotation if you were talking about someone’s clothes. However, that could mean something very positive today, used in the same context. For example, if I were to tell you that your outfit was tight, you would most likely understand that I did not mean it in a literal way. Instead you would appreciate the complement because, in essence, I just said your clothes were really nice and in style. The phrase could still preserve its literal meaning too, depending on the tone and emphasis used. This is an intriguing topic to think about. Did I meet your challenge somewhat?
ReplyDeleteI do find this has become very commonplace in our language. Personally, it is both an interesting and bothersome topic. These words have become used for slang purposes and not for their actual meaning, which would make it extremely difficult for a person new to the language to interpret the conveyed information. This factor also takes away some of the emphases these words are meant to create. My chosen word would be "epic". The definition of this word is: either of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an epic poem, or extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope. However, people use it so often for actions that are not so, epic, that it has taken the magnitude of the word away. I mean really what was so impressive about falling off your bike.
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