They are yet, to find a resting place, over spent grammar still making the rounds. The language purists and masters refer to them as hackneyed phrases or over used English that should be dumped for current and modern expressions. Of the over 500,000 vocabularies in the standard dictionary, old words and statements occupy a sizeable population, taking the pride of place in the different channels of communication, the print and electronic media platforms, especially.
I would like to point out that, however we wish away archaic English, grouped under the Elizabethan, Shakespearean and Victorian eras, they still, in most cases, humorously entertain us, and perhaps, reminding us of the good old days when things or the cosmos, so to write, was moving gingerly or at a slow pace which gave humanity the ability to think wisely, compare to our jet or computer age, when things are going faster with the danger of the rapid breakthroughs in science and technology taking over the human brain or acting in that capacity in finding lasting solution to the problems of the human race.
Now, let’s take stock of old English or statements in vogue despite attempt by succeeding generations to do away with them; and in their place, replace with what the language enthusiasts call modern English to match with our time. Straight forward vocabulary is it, that also saves time, they argued. And so, we are daily confronted with litanies of spent grammar that often task us, whether to abandon them and take on new statements that are currently in use.
The choice is yours. But, I would like to warn here that since the conventional media-the newspaper, radio and television appear to dictate the manner we use the language, thereby influencing our thoughts process, the tendency is, we are compel consciously or unconsciously to imitate and swallow hook line and sinker (there goes another dangerous and over recycled old statement) thrown at us on regular basis. Here I list some of the over used English that hang on and may not be simply tossed into the waste bin of history. Not so for now, going by the frequent usage of the vocabularies by even the experienced writers, reporters and journalists who are looked upon as pacesetters and role models; from whom the greenhorns, the academia and the publics copy from.
Among the over flogged expressions that may have lost the battle to remain relevant and should be sparingly used are; ‘acid test,’ ‘all walks of life,’ ‘bees in the bonnet,’ ‘conspicuously by its absence,’ ‘deafening crash,’ ‘hook line and sinker,’ ‘in the twinkling of an eye,’ ‘filthy lucre,’ ‘never a dull moment,’ ‘pros and cons,’ ‘leaps and bounds,’ ‘open secret.’ The long list is inexhaustible. We shall be naming them from time to time, to guide us to improve on our knowledge of the language. A quick reminder that modern and current usage of vocabularies are the standards. Why I said it’s up to you to choose the way to go, whether you are the forward looking type, or you just want to stay where you are, using old or colourful expressions to entertain oneself, playing to the gallery without carrying the readers or listeners along. In other words, you’re impressing yourself rather than express your ideas or opinion to their understanding.
Interpersonal communication fails when the message is lost or unclear. Instead of piling up flowery words to sound bombastic and to show off our communication skills, we should learn to write or speak simple, straight to the point English. The acronym, KISS-Keep it short and simple prevails. Anything else, one is bound to hit the rock. At best, you’re writing for a select few not for everyone the information is targeted at. My assignment to you reading this piece; take a second look at the old statements as enumerated; find a way around it, reduce or simplify them to today’s English, and sound better. That way, you lessen the noise in the language which would obstruct effective communication.
