Wordsmithing: ‘there’

One of the problems with communication is using the most accurate wording to express our ideas and thoughts.

As a child, I learned how to record conversations in my head when someone was arguing with or mad at me so that I could pick it apart later to replay what I would or should have said back to make myself understood. Of course, it would be too late (unless the same topic came up again in an argument 🤭), but it helped me with future similar situations.

One thing I tend to do is focus on particular words and require exact explanations as to the other party’s true meaning. 🤔

Taking a semantics class in my MA program exacerbated an already “unhealthy” interest in words as now I had theory and deeper knowledge about the exact meanings of our word usage. 🤓

It’s probably less of a surprise then that I chose to become a professional language teacher. 😜

Anyway, because of this, words and phrases that I hear repeatedly stick in my head as I process what is really meant by them – especially if they are used by different people who do not necessarily know each other.

Recently, one such phrase has been:

~ is getting there

Where is there? What is there? When is there? What’s so special about there?

It seems to me by its usage that wherever or whatever there is, it’s made up and often unreachable.

I want to ask people when I hear “I’m getting there” or “He’s getting there” what that means really?

Obviously, we don’t have to question the literal understanding as a physical location, but what about the figurative? Can I or you or he or she or we ever get there?

If we can’t, then why say it at all since it just sounds defeatist? If we can, then why not just say exactly what the goal is?

Perhaps, it’s because we really don’t know what there is, in which case, I ask why use it at all?

In any case, I hope I’m getting there in understanding what is meant with this phrase….🤷🏽‍♀️

~T 😀