Old-Speak

Old-Speak

Good morning. I come here before you today as a representative of your mother tongue, that wonderful language which you have drifted away from, where words and phrases had meaning. Meaning, might I add, which did not change from one user to another.

While perusing documents of old, I could not help but take notice of the large number of words which were once commonly used that would now be termed as the "language of hate and judgment". Because these words were used so freely and not in a derogatory manner, I am forced to conclude that in the early days of the republic, these "hateful" traits must have been considered at least normal or even virtuous.

So, let us now revisit a few words which have been trodden underfoot in the relentless march toward the future of "cluck." (definitions courtesy of Websters Dictionary, 1867 and abbreviated for convenience)

Absolute--considered without reference to any other thing, complete within itself, as in an absolute standard, non-subjective

Just--right, equitable, well-grounded and having a solid basis, obtained rightly and according to justice, well-deserved, fairly earned

Blind (as in justice)--unobservant of specific context, see also absolute

Integrity--unimpaired in condition, original completeness, wholeness of mind, honesty, probity, uprightness, sincerity

Inflexible--unshakeable and unflinching, not to be bent, not to be diverted from purpose

Intolerable--not to be borne, unendurable, insupportable

Origin--the source or starting point, initial cause of responsibility for a series of actions

Right--a thing claimed as a justly due in accordance with and conforming to principles of truth, duty, and justice

Inappropriate--unsuitable, incongruous

Discretion--liberty to act according to one's own judgment unconditionally and without making terms

Impact and Affect--(Just a small clarification for the sake of a battered language: impact is not a transitive verb, affect is.)

Now, as you may remember, words with meaning can be pieced together to create common phrases which also have meaning. It seems that in the past few years, we have lost a few of these as well.

Journalistic integrity--In fairness, this phrase has not left our lexicon but it has changed significantly. There was a time when the phrase journalistic integrity was not an oxymoron. At the inception of the trade, journalists were committed to reporting facts and truths without any personal bias or interjections of opinion. They were committed to asking who, what, when, where, and how. Even the somewhat speculative question of "why" was thought to be beyond the range of pure objectivity. Early journalists held to this code, this journalistic integrity, as a point of pride.

Beyond belief --While, by today's standards, an odd pairing of words, it was once possible for an individual to commit an action so far removed from the realm of acceptable behavior that it was inconceivable to the witness and, thereby, beyond belief.

Righteous indignation-- Some actions, by their heinous nature, as so very wrong that the fury and rebuke of those who oppose them is just and holy and these actions demand a passionate response. Terribly quaint.

Something greater than yourself--An almost self-explanatory phrase used to describe a situation where the cause or concept being discussed is of greater importance than the comfort or even the continued existence of the personal entity.

The appearance of impropriety--The metaphysical dust on this terminology is thick and not recently disturbed. The old concept was simple. It was not enough for a good man to avoid doing wrong, he also had to avoid appearing that he was doing wrong. This antiquated phrase was also often used in conjunction with the term "above reproach." In a more modern usage, it may well be paraphrased: "If it looks like something wrong is going on, it probably is so don't put yourself in a position to even be questioned."

Life is not fair--Another self-explanatory phrase that has fallen out of common usage. This phrase is especially appropriate when discussing subjects such as how the application of blind justice and the objective rule of law could potentially result in a situation which, in a subjective sense, could be seen as unfair. Applied sparingly, this terminology was once used to effectively squelch discussions filled with hand-wringing angst and poorly reasoned rhetoric.

The premise of the thing--This term was commonly used when dealing with the easily distracted and those who did not have the intellectual stamina to sustain a lengthy argument. It served to remind those involved in the discussion that it was the underlying concepts which were in contention and not to get distracted in arguing the details of any given current example. In many cases, a relatively innocuous event becomes significant, not on its own merit, but because of the greater concepts which it represents.

The end does not justify the means--This was the counter-argument to the current premise that winning is everything. While modern society seems to accept that no action is wrong if the end result is morally just, in the early days of the republic, there was also the school of thought that some actions were wrong, irrespective of the righteousness of the cause and the agents which performed them.

Becoming your own worst enemy--Current usage of this phrase to indicate self-destructive behavior is only one of the two original meanings of this term. The now lost second meaning is, to paraphrase, "if you use the tools and tactics of your enemy, you become just like them but worse."

Sorry doesn't fix it--On a personal note, this phrase was a particular favorite of my mother and one which I most assuredly deserved. It is a caution to think before acting for damage which has been done, can not be undone by regret.

Forgive but not forget-- Also known as "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me," this phrase served as a caution against forgetting the past in a rush to be seen as gracious.

From these basic building blocks of meaningful language, it is possible to move on to even more complex concepts such as good and evil and finally, after much study in the arcane tongue of meaningful speech, perhaps a new generation can learn the meaning of one of the greatest phrases ever written: "Our lives, our freedom, and our sacred honor."