Words, as we utter them, we give them meanings. As each and every one of them roll on our tongues and slip through our lips, they serve some purpose in explaining us, what we think and how we feel.
But what of the words that are not written down, that are only ever said by women and the poor, that are deemed crass and lowly, inappropriate in polite society? Should we discard them and be thankful that they do not pollute the refined pages of our dictionaries? I am not so sure. Words are only means, they are the carriers of messages, emotions and inner turmoils. There is no place for dictionaries and lexicographers to judge the validity, credibility and authenticity of words. The same word may have slightly nuanced meanings to every single person who has ever said it in a thousand different contexts. Yet every utterance is justified and beautiful as it is.
In "The Dictionary of Lost Words" by Pip Williams, a woman says to a soon-to-be mother in confinement, "I advice swearing. It will relieve the pain when it is at its worst. Childbirth is the only time you can get away from it." Is there anything disdainful in that? To the contrary, I would think it is precisely these words that give expression to the sacred experience every woman goes through in delivering the wonder of life.
Words, they are all about voices, experiences and sentiments. They give us an agency to connect and to feel how others feel. So acknowledge them. Retrieve the ones missing, lost and rejected against.
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Esme, I am once just as you were, curious and fascinated at words and their powers in framing our experiences. Or rather, still is.
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