Friday, April 24, 2009

But Then, You Know What I Mean

Lately I have found myself beginning sentences with a profoundly stupid phrase.
But let's back up. The words we choose matter. With words we create much more than whatever mundane bit of information we wish to share. We create mood and images. We are judged by others and by ourselves based on the words with which we speak.
Speaking of phrases. I love the phrase 'I found myself''. It speaks of dissociative fugue states from which we emerge to literally find ourselves in unexpected hopefully pleasantly exotic places never before visited.
So I kind of like saying 'I found myself''. I chuckle at my private image as I speak those words often forgetting where I'm about to say I found myself.
That's not the problem. Here's the problem.
I've been beginning sentences with the phrase "Well, you know...." and then I go on to state what the person to whom I'm speaking clearly does not know or I wouldn't be telling him in the first place. Or her. Or even worse, if the person to whom I'm speaking does know what I'm about to say why do I bother saying it?
I don't know how this phrase crept into my repertoire of spoken words but, you know, it's got to get out before I find myself becoming an embarrassment to myself and the English language.
But then, of course, you know what I mean.

1 comment:

Marnie said...

Habit! Habits can creep into our verbal language at any time. I'm sure we've all found ourselves saying things we think later to ourselves as "stupid".