Freewriting a snap: A word on “choosing words carefully”

November 29 2007 9:54 am

Today:

Read a text message that made me snap a reply.

The word “thingie” trivializes a thing when used in:

“Hey, ***. Just got the news off the wonder that is the internet. Congrats to **** and you for the neil gaiman thingie.”

In a world of love for words where there are thousands of words in hundreds of dictionaries in different languages and there’s even dictionary.com, why-oh-why use “thingie”?

I replied:

“Neil Gaiman thingie”?? You’ve just completely reduced an achievement with your cavalier use of words. It illustrates the sincerity of your greeting. It insults rather than congratulates: so, no thanks.

In writing, there is a thing we call “word choice” or “word usage”. We choose and use words to communicate a certain thought, emotion or sensibility. We also choose and use specific words to show our tone and intent. A chosen and used word can also change a meaning of a phrase or a sentence, therefore changing the meaning of the whole text and sub-text.

Word choice and word usage result to this thing called “elevation of the use of language”. This heightened language in our writing enables us to touch bone and soul (or the liver according to National Artist Virgilio Almario) with our words, producing a creative work that is spiritual and eternal. The spiritual and eternal is what integrally makes up this thing we call literature.

And the stuff of literature is this thing that is called “life”. And life makes use of this thing called “vocabulary” which ensures that we have other words that may embody an absurd word like “thingie”.

In my vocabulary, “thingie” makes something smaller than a lepton and the lepton is even named “lepton” not a “thingie”. In syntax, “thingie” is also saying that you just won a thingie like a candy instead of the thingie like an affirmation of your writing. Despite the use of the definite article, “thingie” still reduces something to “inconsequential” in semantics.

Imagine Wallace Stevens phrasing:

“Not ideas about the thingie but the thingie itself.”

OR

Imagine winning the Palanca or the Nobel Prize and someone tells you:

“Congrats! You won the thingie!”

Jesus Christ. Thankfully I am older because if this happened a couple of years ago, I would simply go out of the house-- still in my Ma’s daster and bunny-ears-hair-band and a lit cigarette— find you, and bitch-slap you like that lady in “Kung-Fu Hustle”.

Until you understand what the hell “thingie” means and that it should not be used as filler like “Um” or “like” or sticking your tongue out. “Thingie” is definitely not “poetry” being a “button” that can be “deactivated”. The term “thingie” is most especially not used in reference to an achievement in writing that took work, dedication, and love because “thingie” is lese majesty.

lese majesty (lēz’-maj’es tē), n.

1. an offense against the dignity of a ruler.

2. an attack on any revered custom, institution, etc.

Because in my world and as people who write, you choose your words carefully.

Thankfully, I carefully chose to say what I replied because it was prettier than saying:

“Thingie??

Puñetang katangahan sa word choice yan oh.

Tapos nagsusulat ka sa lagay na yan ha?

Sana someday may maintindihan ka kahit konti about “words” and what they mean when you use them.

For now, saksak mo sa baga mo yang pak-yut na pekeng congrats mo

kasi yan ang sinasabi ng lecheng thingie mo.”

After all, “Brevity is the key to good communication.”

Am I being over-sensitive?

No, I just have this thing called “poetics”.

The texter apologized:

“***, I’m sorry, I didn’t know the exact name of the contest. To insult using a ‘cavalier’ word was NOT my intent. In your response, though, I did not expect such a tone. I was (and still am) sincere about congratulating you and ****.”

Did I reply?

Diyos ko ‘Day.

As Kevin said, “***** should’ve chosen *** words carefully.”

And it’s tedious to expound when my message was self-explanatory.

And as Kevin added, “And if I ever reduce any of ****’s achievements, I hope that you’ll snap at me the way you did to ***.”

Why? Because it was pretty.

If I would be bothered to reply it would likely be “Haller?!” and I have way too much respect for the evolution of gay lingo to use it in a further senseless exchange.

Besides, Trillanes just called for a coup d’état/revolution and I have to call Manila Peninsula to cancel our dinner reservation.