Workforce
Diversity
“English – It’s Greek to Me”
E
nglish is a strange language. Did you 2b. My boss is a wise guy. question can create still more confusion.
ever notice that a “slim” and “fat” 3a. Welcome to my home, would you The query, “Why don’t you read this
chance are the same thing and that like something to drink? over?,” if taken at face value, might be in-
you park your car in a “driveway,” drive 3b. Welcome to my home, would you terpreted as a question to be answered.
on the “parkway,” and sit bumper to bum- like a drink? The response might be, “I can’t read it
per during “rush hour?” Why is it that we Although the words used in these sen- over because I forgot my glasses.” In all
duck our heads when someone cries tences are a part of standard English vo- probability, however, it is not a question,
“heads up!” and bring a contract to life cabulary -- the meaning of words like but instead merely a gentle way of inviting
when we “execute” it? How is it possible man, drink, and come, are not subject to the listener to read the material; it might
that to be “bad” is to be good or “cool” in question -- the idiomatic way in which be rephrased, “Please read this over.” As
some circles, but that being “hot” is also a they are used can create considerable mis- you can see, there is a great deal more to
desirable trait. understanding in and out of the workplace. understanding what is intended than just
If you note these peculiarities of Eng- For those of us raised in American culture, knowing the vocabulary.
lish and add the fact that more than 400 it is obvious that the reason for Barbara’s Occupational and professional jargon
other languages are spoken in the United absence from work in example 1b is some- is another communication stumbling
States today, it becomes clear why good how suspect. The difference between a block that has been with us for centuries.
communication, especially in a multicul- “wise man” and a “wise guy” seems dra- Words we take for granted today were
tural health care and business setting, is a matic to the native-English speaker, but once industry terms designed to meet the
difficult task. would be lost on someone who is unfamil- needs of a new technology. Typewriter,
Idiom, slang, and jargon have long iar with the idiomatic meaning the the airplane, and automobile are the most ob-
been a part of the English language. In the phrase “wise guy.” In the third example, vious examples. Today’s jargon includes
nineteenth century, the odd query, “How most Americans realize that the speaker in print-out, double-digit inflation, input,
goes the enemy?” was a common way of 3a is offering any type of a beverage and telemarketing. If we add to this the
asking for the time. Around 1900, to in- whereby 3b is probably referring to some- proliferation of acronyms in our vocabu-
quire, “How’s your belly for spots?” usu- thing alcoholic. lary, it is not surprising that even native-
ally received a polite, “I’m fine, thank Idiom and slang create, not only the English speakers at times have little idea
you.” In the second half of this century, possibility of misunderstanding, but also of what is being said. For immigrants the
Americans have been variously concerned the risk of the listener taking a phrase lit- situation is worse. We tend to forget that
with “What’s cooking?” “What’s up doc?” erally. “You can say that again” and “It’s jargon, slang, and idioms are rarely a part
and “What’s shaking?” Some have even just one of those things,” for example, are of English-as-a-second-language training
been known to ask “What’s your poison?” merely cultural commonplaces and are nor are they taught in English classes
when offering a drink and “What’s the not meant to be acted on or explored fur- overseas.
damage?” when requesting the cost of a ther. Cole Porter, the composer who popu-
product or service. Clearly it is a fairly larized the latter phrase, never intended
simple matter to know the literal transla- for the listener to respond by asking,
The Challenge of
tion of English words but much more dif- “What things?” nor would it be appropri-
Simplifying Your English
ficult to grasp the subtleties and shades of ate to go ahead and “say it again.” Simi-
meaning in these peculiar phrases. Eng- larly, “I have a lot of running around to The problem with the use of non-stan-
lish is riddled with unusual meanings and do,” could lead the nonnative speaker to dard English is that we use it too often and
phrases, many of them difficult to grasp think of you as a dedicated athlete. Eng- far too unconsciously. How often do we
unless one is raised in this culture. The lish is littered with such expressions, use phrases like, “I couldn’t care less” or
following pairs of sentences, each repre- many of which can create painful embar- “six to one, half dozen another” without
senting two entirely different meanings, rassment if taken literally. stopping to think that they are impossible
will give a good idea of the complexity of To make matters worse, sometimes the to decipher without intimate knowledge
the language: same word can have varying meanings de- of the culture? The challenge of being
1a. Barbara did not come to work pending on the context. To say, “I believe alert to our choice of words is enhanced
today. in this idea” connotes a firm commitment by the fact that many words are constantly
1b. Barbara did not show up for work to the concept. On the other hand, to re- passing from the category of jargon to be-
today. spond “I believe so” to a question implies ing considered legitimate parts of the lan-
2a. My boss is a wise man. some doubt about the matter. The use of a guage. Some would argue, for example,
24
www.blackeoejournal.com The Black E.O.E. Journal
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