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Monday, October 26, 2009

DENNIS PATRICK: CLICHÉS ON THE LOOSE

Language in general, and English in particular, is fascinating and engaging. Its construction, usage and evolution offer hours for investigation. So why truncate the language when it’s possible to express one’s self precisely? Good question. What answer? Take clichés for example. A good dictionary definition of a cliché is a trite, stereotyped phrase or term that attempts to express a popular thought or idea but that has lost its originality through overuse. Such words and phrases are reduced to bromides, platitudes. Like idioms that have no literal meaning, clichés are expressions that do not lend substance to the meaning of a sentence. On the other hand, they are distinct from jargon which usually forms a specialized language for technical use. Clichés become rhetorical crutches when strung throughout conversation. Speaker and listener alike are usually unaware of the mind-numbing effect of uninspired clichéd rhetoric as the conversation drones on. There are many, many clichés. Some arise through contemporary everyday usage while others wane over time in a reverse way. So, why use clichés? Maybe from habit. Maybe from laziness. Either way, they are verbal expressions stemming from pop culture. They tend to say little, but they sound good in the process. Complex issues are reduced to rational-sounding phrases by means of clichés. Clichés are a shorthand means of communication. They can mean a thousand things, or they can mean nothing. Frequently, they serve as fillers occupying time and space in conversation signifying little. When not otherwise justifying poor or lazy thinking, clichés in their more sinister form are a way of dismissing dissent or opposition. Clichés may take on the form of butchered platitudes as in “A doctor a day keeps illness away.” Mixed clichés, like mixed metaphors, grate on the brain. They usually result from misunderstanding the meaning of the expression. You never want to “sign your own death knell.” You just might “get your dandruff up.” And, surely, “violence is not as American as apple pie.” On the other hand, you could be “busy as a bee” while “working like a dog.” Here are some common clichés heard in everyday conversation together with possible renderings. “Moving forward...” Let’s not talk about it any more. Change the subject. “Do the right thing..” Let’s do what I think is best. “Send a message...” Why send a message? Just talk straight say what needs to be said. “On steroids...” Exaggerated, bigger than life. The senate health care bill is Medicare on steroids. “Sweet!” A sugary expletive. “It’s for the children...” A nonsensical phrase usually uttered by politicians and bureaucrats. Not much in use since the legislated massive debt our kids will inherit became the latest form of child abuse. “Foot in the door...” An initiation of something new, like takeover of health care, banking and auto industries. “Empower...” A faux redistribution of ability. “Going green...” How we’ll look and feel if Cap and Trade legislation is passed by the senate. “Carbon footprint...” Guilt smudges conveyed by radical environmentalists and politicians as they stomp on the private sector. “You got it...” Thanks for embracing my point of view. “Cowboy...” An independent, forthright, honorable guy -- except when liberals refer derisively to President Bush. “Make a difference...” An inane filler-term. Lenin, Stalin and Mao Tse-tung made a difference. Alternatively, doing nothing, as opposed to doing something, can also make a difference. “Racist...” A loose but effective epithet, warranted or not, used to silence the opposition or shut down honest criticism. Overused banality. “You know what I’m saying?...” Agree with me -- or else. Clichéd rhetoric is a ragged attempt at acceptable, verbal communication. Listen carefully to conversations around you. Better still, listen to the greatest perpetuators of all, the media pundits, and see how many clichés you can identify. Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at P. O. Box 337, Stanley, ND 58784 or (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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