Crossing my Waters

(Thought-Random)

        I am trying to consider this call for presenters at our Toastmasters District 53 Conference ( Eastern New York, all of Connecticut, Western Massachusetts)  which would give me a chance to do an hour's talk on a topic which happens to be a favorite of mine - a topic on the speaker and language.   I've had had earlier notions on particular aspects of language which certainly be of interest to a speaker, - but which of these, I am wondering,  just might serve for my purposes.

        Well, it goes without saying that language is made up of sounds, arrangement and meaning.   And the linguist would technically identify the study of these three in terms of Phonetics, Syntax and Semantics, respectively.  Each of these areas would necessarily parallel oceans of discussion so I need to be selective for the time allotted for the task.   That's for an hour, yes!   But come to think of it.  Some 10 minutes of it will be used to introduce me.  After the talk,  I will need to give up another 10 to 15 minutes for a question and answer portion.  And since this is going to be a Toastmaster affair, there is going to be that part-and-parcel aspect of it which is the Evaluation of the task - that, Virginia, would also be a 5 minute-ish time deduction from my one hour.   Which boils down to the reality that I will have more or less just some 35 minutes to talk.  Okay.

        Phonetics?   Enunciation and articulation?   But I am in America, - in a country to whom belongs the English language.  (And that would be together with England,  I suppose!).  If I were back home where it is only one of several countries that use English as a second language,  talking about phonetics might be interesting,  so no, -not phonetics for now.    Syntax perhaps?  Where one finds the 'rigors and the romance of sentences'?....where a 'sentence comes together through a dance of words'?  But native speakers have the privilege,  to willfully violate the rules either in wicked defiance or in pleasured deviation.  So, no -not syntax for now.   Now, semantics.  Meaning?   Vocabulary?   Well, whether or not in America,  meaning is that aspect of language which relatively undergoes change faster than any other.  So perhaps I should try this?

        In contrast to the written version of it,  language in speech does take up certain demands.   It does make a difference for one to follow the graphic representation of language- its visual on paper,-  from that of its spoken counterpart.   I know one main distinction  would be that when reading it, one has the chance to go over and over it till he is satisfied; whereas when listening to it, and he misses the meaning of some part of it, - he loses it forever because speech is ephemeral...it lasts for just a brief time.   While listening to it,  he wouldn't be able to hold it at any point he'd want to because by then, the spoken language will simply have passed  him by. Speakers certainly have to have this in mind!

        The speaker and language,  thus,  shall my topic be?   I could,  for instance, tell my audience to be simple in word choice: - to say  'learn' rather than 'ascertain';  to say 'large' rather than 'elephantine', to say 'after dinner speech' rather than 'postprandial discourse'.  Listeners would rather want to enjoy the ease of understanding than be given tasks to decipher non-common words.   The English language is rich in subtle variations like for the word  'shine', - it will give choices from 'glow', glimmer', 'glitter', 'glisten', 'flare', 'shimmer', 'flicker',  to 'sparkle'.   Speakers would have to choose the exact shade of meaning they want to communicate.   The use of strong verbs like action words would be to have their sentences come alive as they put across movement.   Phrases such as 'They jumped joyously,'....'waved their hands', ...'crossed the line hurriedly'... would impact the listeners' imagination just as adjectives do.   And yes, there are a lot more, that's for sure... but wait,  -am I really,  really sure this area of language for the speaker is now my choice?   But let me, for a moment, backtrack  just a little in these thoughts, - before I go on crossing my waters..........