Ecliptic Rift

NB: The following doesn’t related specifically to EVE, but I felt I could include it here due to the fact that this blog partially focuses on EVE writing. I excerpted it from an email I wrote on a private, non-EVE mailing list. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk language.

I love English, although it’s not the only language I speak and certainly not the only language I’ve studied. I love the dual origins (Germanic and Latinate) and the different emotional impact that words from each origin can have, even if they actually have the same definition. I love the propensity for puns and the way the language makes rhyming both challenging and interesting. I love alliteration and wordplay. I love the traditions of the great writers and the many flavors and accents in the language, including the accents of those who do not speak it as their native tongue. They bring an enjoyable spice to our communications, and that doesn’t even start to address how much I enjoy having an international perspective among my family, friends, and colleagues. I have no doubt that other languages have their own lovable aspects, some shared with English and some unique.

Recently, I told one of my co-workers that reading particularly poorly-written written communication causes me physical pain — not referring to simple typos, which have more to do with the physical act of using a keyboard, or even to the occasional slip-up, but to emails or fiction (or even news copy, these days) in which the author clearly didn’t reread his words or apply basic rules of grammar and usage. And I’m the sort of “word nerd” to keep Strunk & White on his desk and refer frequently during the day to a thesaurus, even though I have a very technical job.

The long-standing rule for me: if the writer won’t put time and effort into writing it, I won’t put time and effort into reading it.

I could spend all night listing things that bother me about my own writing and speaking. Self-editing really matters to me, even in quick notes at work or on the Internet. But to list a few, and in no particular order:

• Overuse of the passive voice. I now try to avoid it completely.
• Ending a sentence with a preposition. This frequently comes as a symptom of the previous problem.
• Using the word “I” too much. Though this particular post violates this badly, heh!
• Lack of clarity between subject, object, and predicate. Compound constructions have this result from time to time.
• Word whiskers (e.g. “ummm,” “uhhh,” etc.)
• Frequent mannerisms. For example, repeating “y’know?” after nearly every sentence.
• Ending a statement with a lilt or on a high note, so that it sounds more like a question.
• Using parentheses too often.
• Starting too many sentences, especially to begin an answer, with “So…”
• Misusing “e.g.” or “i.e.”, or directly replacing “for example” with “e.g.”

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. I suppose I drug this out far too long at any rate, but to paraphrase Mark Twain, “I was going to make this shorter, but I didn’t have time.”

*** Bonus: how does one pronounce the word “ghoti”?

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