It’S, LIkE, LANGuAGE

Duncan Donuts.

She sat there, dressed casu ally, as most college students are. I can’t remember why she was in my office. I do remember the uneasy feeling that remained about that conversation.

This was a young woman, as I remember, a few months away from graduation, an embarkation into an adult experience, trying out her college-acquired 1,000word vocabulary which apparently included 5,000 “likes.”

“Like, I loved my poly sci botany classes, especially like those where we like could get like involved.”

I wondered how her writing fared? How did she make up for the use of the word “like”?

Now, I know that language changes. For instance, in Latin, the word egregius means distinguished, meritorious, but somehow it has come to mean the opposite. Someone who is described as egregious is someone who is conspicuously bad. In my lexicon, the word “like” has several connotations. Among them, like expresses preference, e.g. I like to read nonfiction. It is used as the introduction to a simile, e.g. Her speech was like a broken record. What function does the ubiquitous “like” perform for this young

Guest commentAry

By HEAtHER WAtERS AND SARA BOLLINGER

We have almost completed The town of Manlius’ first comprehensive plan (“comp plan”). Thank you to everyone who has helped to shape our land use priorities and inform how our town can thrive over the next decade.

Beginning with listening sessions during the pandemic, we conducted more than 20 activities with stakeholders, surveyed and gathered data, and held focus groups, study groups, and expert panels. Kudos to our steering committee, speakers, focus group leaders, Town staff, and colleagues at Barton & Loguidice for their efforts.

The town has also pursued, in parallel to the comprehensive plan, a significant climate action plan, which will also benefit from your feedback.

Though we are moving steadily

Chapman thanks Manlius voters

To the editor:

Thank you to the voters of the Village of Manlius for electing me for another four years as village trustee. We have a lot of work to do, but I am excited to have the opportunity to continue the progress we have made to date. I am confident over the next couple years we will all see a much improved Main Street to go along with our already top quality services our employees provide to residents every day.

Congratulations to Rob Oley on being elected as Trustee for the first time. I’m confident that Rob will bring many fresh new ideas to our board and I look forward to working with him.

Many thanks to Scott McGrew for his 16 years of selfless service to the village board. Scott has been an integral part of many positive changes for our village during his tenure and he will be missed. It was great getting to know so many people over the course of the campaign. Please always feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

HANk CHAPMAN

TrusTee, Village of Manlius

Ferro

woman and so many others? Is it a more verbal form of … uh … a kind of place holder in speech while your brain processes your next thought? What?

Needless to say, my antiquated knowledge of the English language prevented me from staying on task and I completely lost the train of whatever thought it was she shared.

And then, how would you diagram a sentence with all of those likes? Talk about an antiquated activity … but one I loved.

Then she went past whatever border her language barrier created. She described the bus ride to my office as “awesome.” God, speaking to Moses through the burning bush is awesome; a spectacular sunset is awesome. Riding a Centro bus is not. Please!

This enthusiastic college senior is not the only trespasser in language land. Someone has stolen the power of hyperbole. Now, for those of you who have forgotten, hyperbole is the use of language to exaggerate. In that sense there is good hyperbole and bad hyperbole. The use of the word awesome, which should be associated with truly spectacular awe-filled occurrences, has been relegated to a much-diminished usage as the way to describe a smoothie at

Another sadly diminished use of a word is that currently being adopted by Americans seeking to copy their Irish and British cousins use of “brilliant.” Einstein was brilliant. My English professor at SU was brilliant. The morning sun is brilliant. Yet, I hear Americans using this word to describe even the most pedestrian, the most ordinary events.

When a job well done is described as amazing, one has to ponder whether the speaker expected less, and therefore was bowled over by an adequate performance, or whether he or she has fallen into the habit of demeaning the power of words.

A paint job is only amazing or awesome if it was done by Leonardo Da Vinci. Otherwise a good job is a good job.

As the range of meaning for such words expands, their initial power is diminished. So I have to search for words that can convey that specialness, that out of the ordinary, that breathtaking quality that should be set apart by words.

Like, say … like, incredible.

Ann Ferro is a mother, a grandmother and a retired social studies teacher. While still figuring out what she wants to be when she grows up, she lives in Marcellus with lots of books, a spouse and a large orange cat.