The evolution of language is inevitable. The meanings and usage of words will always continue to change. Did you know that the word “awesome” originally meant terrifying? At the same time, “awful” meant something awe-inspiring, worthy of respect and admiration, and “terrific” meant something frightening, which filled you with terror. It was literally terrifying. Which brings me to my point.
I miss the word “literally.”
Although it’s no earthshaking news that words substantially change their meanings over time, if you would have asked me 20 years ago, I would have bet that such a dramatic change into precisely opposite meanings would have taken centuries, not decades. I would have lost that bet, as evidenced by the word “literally.” In probably about 20 years the definition of the word “literally” has pretty much morphed to mean “figuratively.” *sigh*
I’m not really a word snob — well, maybe I am. But what particularly irks me about the loss of the word “literally” is that there are literally no real alternatives. There are words that kind of hit around it, like the 7-ring on a target, but no real effective synonyms. “Actually” may come closest, but it’s still doesn’t convey quite the same thing in many contexts.
It reminds me of what I think should be a classic scene in the movie “From the Hip” (I am flabbergasted that I can’t find it on YouTube!) where the Judd Nelson character plays a lawyer defending a wealthy banking client who slapped someone and is now being sued for $50,000. His defense was that the slappee was an ass. The plaintiff objected to the word “ass”, and at trial Nelson shows up at trial behind a stack of books all containing the word “ass” (including the Bible) and refuses to come out until the judge recognizes the legitimacy of the word. He challenges the plaintiff and the judge to offer an “acceptable” word that means the same thing and carries the same connotation. They can’t do it, and the trial continues, avec “ass”. It’s a great movie — it’s what made me want to become a trial lawyer (“I want to bang on tables and shout ‘OBJECTION’!”).
Go watch it. Literally.