The Importance of Speaking Literally

Hi readers,

This is not me. As you know, I love wacky phrases and phrase origins. But there are certain times when we should use literal language such as in the professional world. We need to be mindful and to understand that writing a book is different than communicating with other people. I need to talk with you about a very important issue in our society. I feel very strongly that we as a society have lost our way. We have become more figurative with our language. Even I am guilty of using figurative language. Last week, I said” let’s play it by ear”. Did I mean playing a piano with my ear and not my hands? Of course not! Can we blame this on TikTok or YouTube pronunciations? When we write a book, we can use language that shapes a reader's interpretation. But communicating to others in the professional world is not like writing a book. People are struggling with speaking English will have a harder time understanding individuals who use nuances such as idioms, metaphors and hyperbole in our daily communication. have the level-headed, literal people gone? Have they run off to Timbuktu? Are they ever coming back? Where do we go from here? How far will we take this before we snap back to good old-fashioned literal language? Only time will tell.