iMedia: Stephen Fry on Language

I will admit, when I came across this video the first thing that clutched at my attention was the sound of Stephen Fry's voice. His melodic tone, along with his English accent, add a musical aspect to the way in which he speaks; it's beautiful. However, once I had been enticed, my attention was held by the meaning behind his well-spoken words.

In this video Stephen Fry, an English actor, writer, and comedian, talks about language and how it can be, but is usually not, used to express ideas, feelings, and emotions. Using his wide range vocabulary to verbalize his point, Fry explains that, often, people who use extensive vocabulary are seen as pretentious, while those who express themselves in other ways are not.

Fry expresses his distaste in when people unnecessarily fuss over proper language use and claim it is for clarity's sake only; he believes, and I agree, that this is usually not the case. He explains that those people aren't in it to make beauty with their own words, but to put themselves above others by declaring their almighty knowledge of the English language. Fry makes a point that those who complain about "improper" language use don't understand the natural development of language. He then continues, getting at the idea of how many were opposed to those who came before us who used radical, or "improper", forms of their art only to become the artists, musicians, and authors that we recognize now as being the most talented of their kind.

I really relate to Stephen Fry's talk on language, because I too enjoy expressing myself through written and spoken words. I am in love with the way that when words are laced together intricately they can hold great meaning that if left untold would be lost. I also feel that if more people were able to better express themselves, and communicate with language, many conflicts would be avoided, and our society would advance exponentially. It goes back to the idea of how creativity brings us meaning and understanding. Our words are a form of our uniqueness that we can share with others. The ability to communicate creatively allows us to spread our own meaning and understanding with the people around us. The use of beautiful language can make this world a musical, colorful, and meaningful place; we would all benefit if we put more effort into our language on occasion.