Comments on: Of Words & The Meaning Behind Them

By: TPP

TPP — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:39:32 +0000

Awesome column, food for thought. I think poets should stop letting their egos write their poetry for them. That’s psychological homework…

By: Donald The Neosapien

Donald The Neosapien — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:27:59 +0000

Quite a splendid suggestion, I would love one. Well unfortunately they cut off the recording so I couldn’t make out whom he was speaking about lol.

By: Lerato

Lerato — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:37:44 +0000

Lol Donald which minister was this gentlemen referring too..m thinkin this topic can make 4 a great indaba perhaps we shud organise one 2 pick @ each other’s minds the more *smiles*

By: Donald The Neosapien

Donald The Neosapien — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:04:28 +0000

Very very good point!! I agree with you fully. I too, am quite pedantic when it comes to words and language. This morning when I was listening to 702, they played a conversation by a drive time jock interviewing some gentleman sharing his views on a particular minister. This gentleman said the following: “He is not a very sophisticated man, he mumbles with grammar and he throws metaphors that don’t make sense which isn’t very good for someone at his level”. I laughed when I heard this, it made me realise that even though most people aren’t aware of the words they use, Leratos and Tuelos are, this further strengthens your point.

By: Lerato

Lerato — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:30:38 +0000

@Donald the Neosapien…your concluding statement/rhetorical question is quite valid. As long as the message is reached to the audience or listener than we can SAFELY say that what in the world do words matter?! But hey if one is possessed with some idea to stir up some type of revolution in society (even if it may be in the underground, in any case that is where revolutions emerge right?) than we cannot dare to be safe… WORDS: Does it matter how we use them, when we use them, how we use them, or how we are used by them (hehe)? I say hell yeah!
It helps to understand words and to politick how we use them coz when we question em or rather the manner in which diverse individuals adopt em, we are questioning the way(s) of the world. Words are the mediums of man’s spirit…an extension of his mind and plans. As writers/poets we need to be possessed with the idea of words and we need to politick em coz words always carry an agenda! As poets/writers and artists it is not enough to see words for what they are ( u know on the shallow surface) but we need to see them for what they can be. Words are carriers of meaning, of both great shifts in society; they’ve inspired war and peace, rebellions and uprisings, reconciliation and restoration, good or bad at a lack of a better expression. This is our essence as artists, to always attend to words and to have an awareness of their use, their significance and varying meaning(s). I cannot help it, it is not even a conscious effort on my part but I have this irritating awareness of these little terrors called words. ..

By: Donald The Neosapien

Donald The Neosapien — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:04:48 +0000

Khaya firstly praise be to God for the gift He has given you and secondly well done for this sublime and thoroughly thought provoking article!!!!

You have found the words that drive a very significant point, the power of words and its uses. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, please spread the link around. I commend Lerato and Tuelo, very good points that you guys raise. Do you think the usage of words in this modern age is a direct reflection of the mentalities? i.e. words like ‘ayoba’, ‘schwarka’ and so forth? Why do you think the way you do?

What is your opinion on the usage of what non-reading society describe as “big words”? Many a times I have found myself in a conversation with someone who likes saying that particular words are ‘big’, is there such? excluding extreme cases such as supercalifragilisticexpialidocious of course.

There’s poets/mcs/writers, who at times use words simply because they sound fancy and not because of their meaning, which is very irresponsible considering their role in society as they are disregarding the very purpose of words.

Then there’s people in general who also allow the inappropriate use of language and words, ironically they understand each other. E.g “Sawubona ma, ukhona uTuelo?” “Angazi yazi mtanami mara ‘im sure’ ukhona”. So can one argue that provided the intended message reaches the recipient the way the sender intended it, then the usage of words doesn’t matter?

By: Sivu

Sivu — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:36:49 +0000

@Matt to the most cognitive brother i know who deserves recognition. K you inspire me to know more man

By: Lerato

Lerato — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:13:06 +0000

@ Khaya and A sense…haha u guys have got me ur thots hv invaded mine and given me new perspective ,just goes to show that words are political… A Sense I get ur line of thinking bra…Some words are monuments of experience and so “loaded” with historicities that no matter how much time passes they will always carry burdens of dominant idelogies that exploit the life journeys of those who’ve been posited or labelled as underdogs according to society hierarchies and structures. Words camouflage themselves as simple mediums of communications but if words were pple and were to be stripped away at layer by layer they would be found terrorists. Ja words neh…such a complex topic. Khaya bra u really take the trophy on this one. Mo Faya!

By: Tuelo (A sense)

Tuelo (A sense) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 08:10:46 +0000

Ashra Kwesi used an example of something that fits perfectly in your article: “you see them “gangsters” walking like they are bouncing thinking they are cool… dragging their left foot behind, thinking they are cool… the fact is that we haven’t moved on from the slave eras, they are still dragging the chain and ball that they used at slave auctions… the difference is that: the chain is not on the leg anymore, it’s in the mind… we’re still dragging the chain…” i think he raised a valid point… but i have to say: to a certain degree, i do agree with Lerato. words evolve, but let’s just be careful, another word that is slowly evolving into the rap culture is “bitch”… just be careful that one day your children’s children will be your wife, their grandmother, a “bitch”. Music is by far the most influential word-medium in the world… let’s just be careful of the music we produce… Music is life configured to a page… and when you put life to a song, think about the lives of present and future children. Art imitates life and vice versa… a song can shape a life… so all im saying is, yes, words evolve, but are there certain words we want evolving? like bitch? Nigga, dyke, and as Khaya said, Umlungu…?

By: matt

matt — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:58:24 +0000

He’s my fwnd**, and one day wen he’s writing for M&G everyone else will know jus how knowledgeable a writer n thinker he is… let’s expand the platform saan…