Why Can't I Understand?

Ever since I was a child, I wanted others to understand my thoughts, wants, needs. That should be a common thing among humans.

Buddy, our Lhasa Apso, who is now five and a half, can communicate quite well but he doesn't use words. Oh, he understands a lot of words, but he does not speak words. None of my dogs have done that - bright though many of them have been!

You see, that should be one more thing that separates humans from animals. Humans should be able to make themselves well understood by other people.

Everyday I see young people who have trouble stringing words together to make a sentence, particularly written. I know I am getting older and my ways are not necessarily their ways, but one would think that if they want us to understand them at all, they would make an endeavor to speak some semblance of correct English.

Now, I am always reminding you that I was not born in Texas. I know Texans think I sound more like an Englishman (not even Canadian) than an American. That may be true, but I did pass my American Citizenship Test with 100% and that included a short test of my communication skills. So, I have "passed muster" on how to communicate to an American!

There was an article in this morning's Lufkin Daily News by an Associated Press medical writer using the word "snuck" in the article and in the caption under the attendant photo. Well, our household dictionaries have been here for a while and did not include that word.

In my endeavor to be current, I googled the word, "snuck" and I found it to be acceptable in today's language. Okay, point taken. (My using the word "googled" as a very should tip you that I try to be current.)

Then, I went to my e-mail and found my TSN (The Sports Network, Canada) summary waiting for me. The most interesting story in there for me was about CFL (Canadian Football League) salaries.

CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement,

"The Board of Governors has strived to maintain that affordability, accessibility and prudence in holding the cap number steady for 2009."

Last year, the cap on salaries was increased but this year they are holding the line! What is that cap? My friends, that cap on a CFL football player's salary is $4.05 million.

There is a slight connection - for me, anyway - between the current linguistic skills of the younger generation and this cap on CFL players' salaries.

I have long felt that sports heroes - those who are at the top of their game - should be role models for young people. Young people learn at home and school, true, but they also learn from what they read and what they see on TV.

Sometimes when I see a football player interviewed, I can surmise his attitude from the look on his face, but many times I genuinely cannot understand what he is saying. Is that the way it should be, or should the teams be hiring people - yeah, people like me - to help these young players communicate better and therefore improve the image of professional sports?

Yes, I know the English language has evolved and I think most of us try to keep up with it. The best example of English evolving is the newer translations of the Bible. When I was a kid, The King James Version was the one we used. Now we also have the NIV (New International Version) but we also have some study bibles. When I really want to understand, I go to a special study version so I am not just reading words but am truly understanding.

So, why can't I understand all the young people? Being understood is fundamental to getting what you want in life. (Even Buddy knows that!)