My favourite Word this Week...
Complicity
I heard this word at the end of a radio programme as the presenter thanked his listeners for their complicity and I wondered what the word connotes, denotes and evokes. I looked it up in the dictionary and was surprised to find out the following:
the fact that someone is involved in or knows about something bad that happens
(http://www.wordreference.com/definition/complicity)
So, does it mean the radio programme presenter was doing something wrong? Of course not.
I did a bit of research and read that Virginia Woolf
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf) also used the word complicity to refer to the relationship between writers and readers. Again, does this mean the writer was involved in some kind of misbehaviour? I don't think so.
As I was not satisfied with the dictionary definition of complicity, I concentrated on the way I perceived the word. As far as I am concerned, this word implies a close relationship between people with a certain degree of secrecy and confidentiality. Profound closeness with other people we usually interact with involves the appearance of shared codes. Looking into this matter a little further, I've concluded that we hold as many instances of complicity as there are people we interact with. Thus, I propose a new concept for this word: secrecy that arises in our interaction with another person that depends on the kind of relationship one has with that person.
Do you know other words you feel the dictionary definition is unsatisfactory? Please feel free to share them.
Complicity
I heard this word at the end of a radio programme as the presenter thanked his listeners for their complicity and I wondered what the word connotes, denotes and evokes. I looked it up in the dictionary and was surprised to find out the following:
the fact that someone is involved in or knows about something bad that happens
(http://www.wordreference.com/definition/complicity)
So, does it mean the radio programme presenter was doing something wrong? Of course not.
I did a bit of research and read that Virginia Woolf
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf) also used the word complicity to refer to the relationship between writers and readers. Again, does this mean the writer was involved in some kind of misbehaviour? I don't think so.
As I was not satisfied with the dictionary definition of complicity, I concentrated on the way I perceived the word. As far as I am concerned, this word implies a close relationship between people with a certain degree of secrecy and confidentiality. Profound closeness with other people we usually interact with involves the appearance of shared codes. Looking into this matter a little further, I've concluded that we hold as many instances of complicity as there are people we interact with. Thus, I propose a new concept for this word: secrecy that arises in our interaction with another person that depends on the kind of relationship one has with that person.
Do you know other words you feel the dictionary definition is unsatisfactory? Please feel free to share them.
Posts
What a great blog Marisa,
ReplyDeleteCongratulation on your superb writing style!
I always think that the word "love" is used in too many ways and therefore looses its deep meaning. Especially in the English language were you love your food, the TV, the weather and your kids, etc....
I think the word "love" should only be connected with people were you really feel a loving connection. It seems that the sentence "I love you" is so easy said and it confuses me.
Especially if my neighbour or whoever it may be tells me that they love me because I brought them back some groceries.
So, how can I define the deepness of this word? If my kids say it its real... and if my neighbours say it it's a joke?
Thanks, Andrea, for your comments and your appreciation of my blog.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you in connection to the word "love". There should be different words to express different shades of meaning.
Thank you very much for your contribution.
Regards,
Marisa
Marisa,
ReplyDeleteI find many words and phrases do not translate well in various languages! In Germany people really do not say welcome. There is a word for please and thank you, but not you are welcome! I used to be stumped by this, because everytime someone tells me thank you I want to say this. Instead, I have gotten used to this!
Shelly
Thanks, Shelly for your comment. It's an interesting fact to know about German!
ReplyDeleteHello dear Shelly,
ReplyDeleteactually there is a word for "you are welcome"
it means "bitteschön"
Take care and kind regards
Andrea