It has been said that if you are uncertain of something, ask someone who knows or look it up. So I once asked a friend if she knew of a place where I could have someone pierce an extra hole in one of my belts. She answered no. And even though I did not mean to complicate matters, I asked, do you mean you don't know of such a place, or there isn't one in our immediate area. She paused with a puzzled look on her face.
It was at this moment that it dawned one me, that sometimes this language can indeed be a strange thing. This can also be evident when you have two words or phrases that have the same meaning, but one is negative and the other, positive. Take the words: groundbreaking and earth-shattering for instance.
Mention the word groundbreaking, and right away, listeners are aware that you are speaking of something on a positive note. For it conveys a surge of all things, new, pioneering, original, revolutionary.
On the other hand, mention the phrase: earth-shattering and people conjure up ideas or images of destruction, ruin, or devastation. Unless someone is quite clear about what he/she is conveying to his/her listening/reading audience, sometimes this language thing can make one stop and wonder.
Two simple, everyday words or phrases is all they are. Groundbreaking and earth-shattering. But when they are blended into a work of fiction or non fiction, they can give one the impression that the earth is being ripped apart. But figuratively speaking, one means devastation and the other something new or original.
All in the name of language. Funny isn't it?
