At a Loss For Words
29 Jul 2010 4 Comments
in Writing Tags: #amwriting, books, words, writers
I had just finished writing a Hotel review on Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. My pleasant daydream of crystal blue ocean, palm trees and dolphins leaping came to a screeching halt. I had a sudden appalling question hovering in my mind… What if the world ran out of words someday?
There would be nothing left to write! Nothing left to read eventually.
A horrifying contemplation for a writer and a reader.
We contemplate e-books taking over traditionally published books, but no one could do either if there were no words left to use.
Numerically, zip codes, bar codes, area codes and more run out of the sequences they can be used.
What about words?
I hope not, but the dictionary is not infinite. Do you think there will ever be a time that a writer will be at a loss for words literally?
Aug 01, 2010 @ 22:21:29
Very interesting article and something I’ve never given any thought to!!
Aug 05, 2010 @ 18:43:45
A writer is a weaver of words. It isn’t the words themselves that sets one person’s prose out from another but merely the way they are used. As long as there are writers out there yearning to be heard, there will be stories left to tell and books begging to be written. On this, I have no doubts.
Aug 07, 2010 @ 11:44:54
With about 1,000,000 words in English out there, we’re unlikely to run out. And, with such a subtle language at our disposal, it’s rare for us to be at a complete loss when trying to say something. I think your nightmare must be just that. The possible combinations of all those words is effectively infinite. My fear is that so many words are being devalued and misused these days that clarity is in danger of being submerged in a sea of confusion.
What matters is how you use words, and you, Kira, use them beautifully.
Aug 08, 2010 @ 10:49:14
I have thought about the point you have made and I believe you are correct. Thank you for visiting my blog and for the wonderful comment!