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| Content | | | | The Right Words | The Master said, "What is necessary is to rectify names…
What the superior man requires is just
that in his words there may be nothing incorrect."
Confucius, Analects XIII, 3
One of my favorite sections in the newspaper „Shanghai Daily“ is a weekly presentation of new Chinese words. Language is subject to change; inventions or trends necessarily lead to new expressions. Since 1977, the Society for the German Language examines and chooses the “Word of the Year”, mirroring trends in the German language. The US newspaper Washington Post organizes a yearly competition among its readers to change a word by adding or leaving a letter and give it a new meaning. The author Adam Smith compiled a book in 1983 together with a friend in order to close linguistical gaps: „The Meaning of Liff - A Dictionary of Things There Aren`t Any Words for Yet--But There Ought to Be“.
All these efforts and word creations are expressions of an affectionate attitude towards our most important tool of human communication. People who enjoy to play on words tend to be quibblers - and I consider quibbling actually a compliment despite of its negative connotation.
However, quibblers seem to become a rare species. Publications show a certain sloppiness in the use of words; one desperately looks for pun - maybe because of ubiquitous „sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn`t get it“ (one of the winning words in the Washington Post contest).
Confucius took the choice of words very seriously; he considered it a virtue that has to be strived for in order to achieve a harmonious society. He warned that sloppy language would have bitter consequences, “If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music do not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot”.
That might sound a little bit overdrawn nowadays; however, words can give orientation as we all see with children asking for the meaning and origins of words. Children scrutinize the lexical meanings of words; they discover contradictions and request explanations. I found some very cute examples for that in the internet:
How do you call the hard plastic ends of shoelaces?
Is there another word for „synonym“?
Why are noses running and feet smelling?
Maybe Confucius simply kept this childlike curiosity, together with a wish to find the right word and name for everything.
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