The other day, I was talking with my friends about etymology. We brought up how there are a plethora of words that are used incorrectly by our generation. While most of my friends were unphased by this phenomenon, I, a nerdy English major, felt this was an abomination. For example, the word "literally" is misused by almost everyone. Don't believe me? Just walk into any Starbucks and eavesdrop a little. You'll hear it.

So the question that has been doing somersaults in my brain for the last few weeks has been this: do we have the right to manipulate the meaning of words whichever way we please? We are the only species on this earth using them, after all. Perhaps it is fair to edit their significance: to form them into however we want to use them. They're just words, right?

Or, is it more black and white? Words have meanings for a reason. If you change their message, what's the point in having them in the first place? What's the point of different languages? By modifying as we please, we are destroying years of etymology; we are destructing their identity.

"They're just words, they're not people." I understand this, but in my opinion, language is a sacred thing. It is how we communicate with each other. There is a deep power within each word. There is intention. We are not entitled to change the meaning of words for our convenience because it attacks the integrity of the word.

This being said certain words evolve naturally with time because the connotation changes with time. We cannot prevent this and neither should we. I'm not advocating for using King's James language. I'm simply critiquing the opinion that we should use words however we please without taking the time to look up their meanings. By educating ourselves on word definitions, we are not only preserving the accuracy and longevity of our words, we are communicating more crisply and effectively.