Words are a tool we use to communicate. At first words were only spoken. Eventually writing was developed and evolved to the state we have today. Words are not the only means of communication. We also use gesturing, facial expression and body movement as well. Yet, words are our most expressive means of communication. They are, usually, also our most precise means of communication.
More and most precise do not mean totally precise. While words serve us quite well most of the time sometimes things fail. Failure can cause problems.
There are many reasons why this happens. Some people make a career pointing out the failures. Comedians use the ambiguities of language on a regular basis as fodder for their jokes. Deborah Tannen has written several books on the topic of how communicating goes awry. One of the points that particularly resonated with her readers is the way that men and women use language differently. The differences between adults and teenagers are a constant source of astonishment and conversation.
We all presume that everyone thinks the same way, and use words the same way. Some of us, particularly those who work with words a lot, come to realize that this is not the case. In fact from my readings on the way the brain develops I sometimes wonder how we manage to come to any common ground at all.
Some people obsessively start to focus in on specific words and attribute things to the words that are not warranted except in their own heads. I am thinking of Jared Loughner, the Tuscon shooter, as a specific example. He is reported to have been upset that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords could not answer the question that he put to her to his satisfaction. The question was “What is government if words have no meaning?" He reportedly had been studying nihilism, a philosophy that seems not to believe in anything.
Philosophy is supposed to deal with logic. If you start out with a false premise, that words mean nothing, you will end up with false results. In this case Loughner ended up looking like a fool and has destroyed other lives with his fools errand; whatever the errand was that his twisted mind had sent him on.
Words have meaning. The meaning of the words is derived collectively by the users of the word as they use it. The meanings can and do change over time. Not everyone gives the same meanings to words, yet it is the collective usage that gives a word its meaning and attributes. You might think of it as a sort of consensus vote on how we will use the word. For some words the meaning, and sometimes the pronunciation will vary between different areas of the country. Sometimes the differences will be between occupations, social classes, ethnic groups, and age groups. Eventually these differences will tend to smooth out and the consensus of a, perhaps, new usage or pronunciation will develop. That is how language evolves.
The word government, to be specific, has meaning because English speakers hold it to mean certain things. The specific nuances of meaning are different for each of us, and vary from time to time. To say the word has no meaning is stupid. The fact that the word is used indicates it has meaning, both to the speaker and the listener.
For someone who works with words this evolution is very interesting. Well used words can contribute to showing place and time in your writing. Failure to pay attention to this change can result in an out of tune piece.
I don't think it is possible to get it right all of the time, but it is something that must be kept in mind.
