Its only words

By Sonnet

Semantics Task Force (STF) inspectors of the Department of Words in the Ministry of Communication have discovered millions of cases where certain words are being misused and abused. In a series of raids carried out last week, the ministry says it has collected alarming evidence of the deterioration of language, right out of the lips of offenders. Senior analysts at the department say that this is a very dangerous threat to communication that requires serious attention on a global scale.

In an effort to educate the public about the misuse of words, the ministry has launched a comprehensive public awareness program which will be carried out in two stages over the next few generations. The first stage is aimed at identifying and reconditioning expired words that are being cheaply recycled and used with distressing frequency. The second stage is designed to rescue endangered words that are under severe threat of losing their meaning.

Under stage one, words such as 'like,' 'whatever,' 'love,' 'so' (alternatively spelt 'sooo') and also phrases such as 'shut up,' will be phased out of use, while the ministry maintains that any words that can be successfully repaired will be gradually re-introduced into the vocabulary. Investigators who managed to successfully infiltrate a group of school girls in a bus have found statistical evidence which suggest that teenage girls are the most common offenders of this mass abuse of words including their criminal abbreviation in "txt msgs." However, 'gangsta rappers' and their brain-dead followers and nincompoops who don't read are also among those who have been held responsible for this severe degradation of semantics.

Four letter words such as 'hell' and 'shit' were found to be abused mostly for swearing. However, evidence suggests that illiterate thugs and idiots whose command of language is limited to a few hundred words are using these words to convey their narrow spectrum of thoughts and ideas. The findings suggest the possibility that, these words have evolved into super-expressive tools of communication for their users, as such words offer versatility in the use of language for people with a limited vocabulary.

The ministry has warned the public of more serious consequences that may even effect our perception of what it means to me human. Researchers have found instances where politicians and even religious leaders had misinterpreted words as fundamental as 'war,' 'peace,' 'freedom,' 'God,' 'good,' 'bad,' and 'justice;' arbitrarily choosing their meanings to manipulate public support for unjust causes and in the promotion of dogmas.

While acknowledging that at least some of these changes in language and words could be part of the natural evolution of language, the investigation also shed light on the fact that words such as 'love' and 'respect' have all but lost their meaning. Previous studies have proven that human thoughts and feelings are shaped by words and their semantics.

The fact that Aborigine tribes in Australia did not understand the emotion of love as a result of not having an equivalent word for "love" in their vocabulary have shown that the range of human emotions and sentiments are limited to the availability of words that can represent them and convey their meaning.

It is feared that if this process of word abuse is allowed to continue, humanity may soon lose its ability to experience even the most profound of all emotions and sentiments. Commentators on the subject argue that the loss of emotions and positive sentiments is already taking place causing dire consequences. They point out the increase of domestic violence and divorce rates and the decrease of goodwill and cooperation among individuals, groups and even nations is a direct result of the degradation of words and the meanings.

In its final analysis, the ministry suggests the invention of new words as a possible solution. Other steps to arrest the mass decline of semantics, such as making it compulsory for people to read old books have also been suggested by private think tanks. The ministry emphasized that the problem should be eloquently discussed and publicly debated, iterating the need to find creative and definitive solutions to the problems they aim to highlight.