People perform as if words have one single definition which has always been will never change until the end of time as we know it. There is a admired approach in this country among a positive misinformed section of the population that the meaning of words is somehow fixed in stone. As a linguist, I have dedicated my life to the meaning of words. I think I sensed this when I was a kid. It is just amazing how many people believe this. In reality, however, the meanings of words are highly malleable. Still, I am somewhat reassured by the fact that, for a lot of children, a sympathetic of the meaning of words is a simple as opening up a dictionary. Meaning changes depending on who is saying the words, what day it is, what situation they are in, and any one of hundreds of other factors.

My parents were very into training us to be resourceful children, thus when we would ask for the meaning of words, they would have us look them up. A love of language can start in early childhood, and can last a life span. I’m fascinated by definitions and the way they shift based on different cultures and subcultures. Looking up words in the dictionary as a child was initially confusing to me. This is why I am cautious to always get dictionaries for all of my young relatives. If you take a word like liberal, terrorist, freedom, faith, enemy, or anyone of thousands of politically contested words, you can see how people intentionally distort meaning to serve their reason. A lot of the time, the meaning of a word as it was explained in the dictionary did not quite match up with the book I was reading.

Gradually but surely, I stated to appreciate that the explanations of meaning were only approximate. I find this endlessly frustrating. I may not be remembered as that cool uncle who got them a video game, but I might inspire something far more precious and ultimately more enjoyable than a few hours of gaming: I might inspire a lifetime of learning. They worked in some cases, but did not work in others. The difficulty is that many people never really think about the meaning of words. They don’t understand that the language we use is deliberately manipulated behind the scenes, because they don’t understand that language is malleable. And in my estimation, that is one of the most valuable things you can give.