Language Stinks!

**Found this a year or two ago.. Laugh about it every time!**

It has been a few years since I decided to become and English Major who specializes in Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language but I have never disliked language quite as much as I do now.

During my Intro to Linguistics class, the focus has been from sentence structure to pragmatics or the meaning of the phrases. Just today we talked about how our language mainly focuses on the indirect meanings we tell people in our everyday lives. I never really thought about it until today and while I encourage many people to just speak their minds, the realization of how often I use "hints" to get a point across really got me going!

Even now as I write this post, I can see all the places where I have used an indirect message or slang term and frankly (another one!), I have had it!

I don't want to be self-aware!
I don't like this whole language mumbo-jumbo! (I just can't stop!)

The example my professor brought up (she is a linguist and loves it...Bless her heart!) was when we ask for someone to do something for us. People tend to say things along the lines of "If you could pass the salt, that would be great!" A way for people to give a type of indirect comfort or the illusion of options being available when all we really mean is "Give me the salt". Hey, why not just say it?

I have pet peeve for "hints" I don like them or like when people use them on me. Now this depends on who is speaking. If I don't know them that well and my background knowledge of their "ok - angry" meter than I would usually let it slide. If I can say that they are at least "good acquaintances" than I would do what they asked but ask them (nicely) if they could be more clear with what they want. BUT if I know them and I am completely comfortable with them, I won't do anything and respond "Don't hint at it, what do you want?"

Like I said, I dislike it!!!!!

Now that I know that I do that on a seemingly regular basis, I can't stop pointing it out, either in my mind or out loud and I am getting pretty ticked!

The solution? I am so switching majors!!!!!!!!!!!!
>.<