Real Talk!

People have senses; this must have something to do with sensibility. It just seems to me that there are a whole lot of people out there who complain that other people lack common sense.

Not to be confused with logic, which is based on inference, logic includes the analysis of reasoning, demonstration and probability… the whole concept of logic gets a little blurred around context- I guess that’s why the mid 60s brought us the term “Fuzzy Logic”.

Who’d have thunk that common sense would be such a complex subject?

I have always enjoyed puzzles. I like riddles and mysteries.

I think a lot of “stuff” gets complicated because we all have subtly unique articulation. What we say is interpreted by the listener and formulated by their personal understanding/interpretation of the words we have chosen and the intonation we have used, as well as the body language of that moment.

Not to mention the gaping differences in how and what the individual views as humour. There are times that the use of humour is wasted… and other times, when the use of humour is completely misunderstood.

Language, vocabulary, semantics… grammar… linguistics… the English language is constantly evolving. Jargon emerges. Words change… and words change lives. Words can create magic; they also cause serious misunderstandings, too. Imagine this: in days gone by, the word shrewd signified evil or wicked. Today, it signifies sharp awareness.

How about sharp? Sharp could be about having a thin edge or point that is capable of cutting… but Z Z Top sings that “every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man”. Another example is the word gauntlet, Middle English used it to describe a protective glove worn with armour… the Old Norse and Low German version described gauntlet as a trial or ordeal.

I have never hidden my love of language. I subscribe to wordsmith and I own a zillion dictionaries, thesauruses and books of synonyms, antonyms- as well as books on words, word origins, grammar… one can never have enough books.

Just today, I was talking to Donna (our office administrator) about how strange it is to assimilate into a small town. I’ve been here 17 years and still, I feel like a displaced person… no longer at home in the city (Toronto) and not quite a local in Bancroft.

Then, I stumbled on a site: Word Spy (a site devoted to lexpionage: the sleuthing of new words and phrases) and discovered the perfect word to describe my circumstance… apparently it’s a new word. The word is ruralpolitan n. An urban dweller who moves to a rural area. Also: rural-politan. [Blend of rural and metropolitan.] —adj.
—ruralpolitanism n.

I almost like it.