Language

I’m starting to get more than slightly annoyed with the language of the TV news reporters and politicians.  It grates on me when I hear “truly awful” or”truly outrageous”.  It implies some situations are “falsely awful” or “falsely outrageous”.  The fact is it’s either awful or it isn’t!  The “truly” bit is meaningless drivel.

Another thing that irritates me is when I hear or read about our “sporting heroes”.  Heroes are people who have performed a very courageous act and in doing so place their own safety a risk.  Outstanding sports men and women are “champions”; NOT heroes!

And whilst I’m having a rant.  I do hope the British TV reporters don’t start the same nonsense as many of their Australian counterparts and begin every sentence with the word “Now”.   The word isn’t needed to make sense of what’s being said.  It sounds like a technique they have been taught to act as a “gap filler” so they can get their delayed action brains in sync with their lips.  I just about climbed up the wall when one evening an Australian reporter used the word 13 times in her one brief appearance.

Now, I’d better stop ranting otherwise I’ll miss the beginning of the truly interesting rugby.