"Words-especially religious words, words that have to do with the depth of things-get tired and stale the way people do. Find new words or put old words together in combinations that make them heard as new, make you yourself new, and make you understand in new ways."(F. Buechner "Listening to Your Life" p.48)
I find words fascinating. I like to play with them. I find puns to be some of the best jokes around. I love stumbling across new words that I am not familiar with and then find out their meaning. I ran into one just a few days ago, palliative. I don't know how useful a word it actually is, but it sounds impressive.
In my church we have "traditional language" and "contemporary language." I do have to concentrate more in the traditional service than in the contemporary one. Words like vouchsafe can creep up on you if you are not paying attention. There is a beauty in them, but they are not necessarily holier.
Contemporary words of course are always evolving. Even old words start to take on new meanings as each generation comes around, claims them and molds them for their purpose and communicating with each other.
There are of course some words being bantered around these days that should be relegated to the history books and just left there. Used not to enlighten but to evoke a fear of something in the past, that most folks don't grasp on a very deep level.
I know that expanding my vocabulary allows for better communication and also helps me understand the world I live in better.
Blessings,
Ed
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