To Thine Own Selfie Be True-- Literally
Concerned linguist Meghan Daum utilizes a concerned yet sarcastic tone and informal diction to evaluate the severity of “literally’s” newest meaning, also highlighting how language has evolved, and in her eyes, unraveled. She introduces the fluidity of language by examining Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year (OED): “selfie.” Daum recognizes how the new word highlights society’s self-obsession and how picture-taking has evolved throughout the 1900s. During the second paragraph, a tonal shift occurs as she examines OED’s ruling of an additional definition for “literally.” She includes the secondary meaning: “informal, used for emphasis while not being literally true.” By using examples of Vice President Joe Biden and Sarah Palin’s speeches, she sarcastically deems their speeches informal and unfit for people of their political stature. Her use of contractions implies conversational language instead of lecturing. In this occasion, Daum explicitly explains her discontentment with the new definition and emphasizes how language will eventually lead a downward spiral. As a writer, she displays her concern for language and also notifies her audience on how they contribute to language's destruction. She is calling action to this situation, and will stop until literally everyone understands.