The importance of using proper English is a waning concept these days. Many have taken it upon themselves to rearrange our language until the poor international student has a hard time keeping up with it. Who am I kidding? I have a hard time keeping up with it! Whether bored with his mother tongue, possessed by a desire to shock, or simply too illiterate to care, this foe of excellence is a constant bane to the work that we, as home educating moms, must do.
Exactly what is the importance of correct language usage, regardless of the nationality or tongue of the speaker? As human beings, our importance is in the God Who made us, as Creator and Owner of us all. We must daily remind ourselves that a Holy God created us and that we owe Him excellence in return. We are to attempt every activity with the utmost care for excellence. He created us in His own image (Gen. 1:27), and He is not sloppy.
We also have God's command to write clearly, and to read (Hab. 2:2). How can we obey without careful choice of the words that we use? The Bible tells us that we will give an account for every idle word (Matthew 12:36). Therefore, we ask God to set a watch over our mouths so that we do not sin (Ps. 141:3). Our purpose is to show His glory (Is. 43:7) and we must remember this purpose. Excellence in writing and speaking is not exclusively for published authors. As vessels of His glory, temples of His Spirit (1Cor. 6:19), each of us has the task of being clean and ready for His most exalted use.
What is this amazing language we call English? Often called, by non-native speakers, the most difficult western language to learn, it is hailed as the most expressive, the most completely satisfying language, by those who master it. Why? We must understand that there is very little of the native tongue of the original inhabitants of the British Isles in what we speak. A group of fishermen migrated to the area, from the Angle River portion of what is now Germany, giving their name (Angles) to the country, to its language, and to certain types of fishermen. If this immigration had been the extent of history, we would speak a German dialect today. However, in AD 1066, invaders from Normandy (France) conquered much of it and forced the use of an old French dialect upon their subjects. This domination succeeded in the marketplace where they could enforce it, but in the home, the Angle/German prevailed. Now we have inherited two terms for many ideas, based upon their use either in
the market or on the homestead. Compare venison, beef, pork, poultry, veal, and mutton, all French derived words that we encounter at the grocer, with deer, cow, pig, chicken, calf, and sheep, all Germanic words for the same animals when they appear on the farm. You can see the marketplace French influence upon our language. This politically imposed language influence causes English to be very difficult for an international student to grasp. (Okay, it is difficult for me to grasp, too, sometimes.)
Similarly, we have the homey invitation to, "Come in," compared to the formal, "Enter." At home, we do the wash and sleep in a bedroom. In public we launder and sleep in a dormitory. Mom helps us; the government assists us. Our choices are endlessly doubled. However, many of the most-used words (those based on ideas we assimilate from infancy, on our mothers' knees) are of Germanic origin. For example, consider the words for grand universal concepts, such as: heaven, earth, night, light, water, sky, mother, father, house, etc. We also note that all, or almost all, of our prepositions are Germanic. This mixture of artificially induced influences makes English a nightmare for some, for others, a dream come true.
To confuse matters further, consider the European, American, Australian, Canadian, and South African variances found in our mother tongue. What do you put under your bonnet-your head or a can of motor oil? How do you pronounce the thirteenth element-aluminum or al-you-mini-um? Is a boot a noun or a preposition? And then there are accents. Does a match burn or barn? Do you live in a home or a "hoom"? (Or should we truly mix it up and discuss chalets, yurts, cabins, huts, shacks, lodges, cottages, palaces, hogans, teepees and igloos?) We may laugh, but we must be serious when it comes to doing our best. We must realize that there is no room in our language for carelessly adding any confusion. Although we do not have to speak the king's English in the United States, we should try hard not to adulterate, dilute, or insult this beautiful gift.
It's like . . . well . . . you know, like . . . well, you know! I once heard a very bright girl giving an impromptu speech with those exact words in it. Her parents (both intelligent, educated, professional people) were embarrassed. I was even embarrassed for them. Although this young lady has enough intelligence to speak correctly, she could not see the importance of disciplining herself to do so. The other young people around her had influenced her too much for her to be able even to hear that her speech was annoying. By trying to fit in with the crowd of teenagers around her, she had completely lost sight of the purpose of speaking-to communicate something for God. She thought she was supposed to please her worldly friends, instead. Yes, we must speak with worldly people, but the act of speaking is a holy thing. We must not lose sight of the things that this young lady had lost sight of.
We must never forget that God spoke the universe into being. He did not say, "Let there be, like, well, you know, light." No, He communicated His will as briefly and clearly as possible. He did the same with the Ten Commandments. We can find no superfluous words there. Our Holy God sets this example and we should follow it. The act of speaking is a sacred thing.
How do we accomplish good language usage? Many Scriptures address speech. Be brief. (Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Mt. 5:37) Be humble. (Do not say that tomorrow you will do something, but rather say that if God wills, you will do it. James 4:13) Be careful. (Be quick to hear and slow to speak. James 1:19)) Be kind (Let your speech be seasoned with salt. Col. 4:6) Little admonitions like these will help greatly, if we heed them.
The honor of our Holy God is at stake here. He is a God of words. HE IS the Word. He gave us, His most honored creatures, the ability to speak words. Dare we abuse words? Dare we abuse speech? The mumbling masses were not the lexicographers of wiser days; no, the mature sons of the Church were the literate ones. While these days we may enjoy playing "word games", the acts of speaking and writing, of blessing, cursing, and praying, are no games. As the literate of our times, as Christian home schoolers, let us always think of the honor of Yahweh, the Holy One, when we are representing Him-which is always.
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Katharine Trauger has homeschooled her six children for twenty years. She and her husband, Gerald, live in Mississippi, and enjoy gardening, reading, and Bible study.
This article was originally published in the Sep/Oct '04 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. To learn more, visit
http://HomeSchoolEnrichment.com.
