Leaving a wedding reception at a hotel recently, I saw one of its restaurants claiming that as it had understood its guests deeply, it offered “… a culinary vicissitude of the discerning gourmand …”. Even as I strove to recover from that, I saw a grocery store calling itself “Maha Pazhamudir – The Great Confluence”. I learnt that this now popular Tamil brand name is associated with the Hindu deity Murugan and karma but could not detect a river or merger association. These are but two examples in the ocean of bombast, gobbledygook and jargon overtaking English as it is used today, written and spoken, formal or conversational. It aims to impress but only amuses and perplexes.

We hear this kind of language constantly, and absorb it unconsciously. Do we think it will make us sound smart, and admit us into coveted inner circles? How many times haven’t we heard “take it to the next level” and are often no wiser about what the next level is? I once met someone who kept saying “fairly good” to everything I said. I was mystified — till I realised he meant “fair enough”. I wonder if the speakers themselves know what these terms mean. “Relationship/bridge-building meeting” is one where you can meet someone without the promise of a tangible outcome (such as newspaper coverage); any conversation, in person, on the telephone or virtually, is an “interaction”, and any field of activity or business is a “space”. And I may be no exception to the rule. These words are so all-pervasive, and avoiding them calls for constant watchfulness.

Why take the complex and obscure path to clarity? Or maybe clarity isn’t such a simple business, after all.

Sravanthi Challapalli, Deputy Editor

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