Saying What You Mean is Not Always Easy

Do we know what words mean, and do we always know how they change? For missionaries, the meaning of words is vital, as we are often juggling meanings and nuance in multiple languages. Let's give some thoughts on words, their meanings, and what they mean to the missionary. In any discussion like this, the best place to start is, as you would think, Looney Toons.

Yosemite Sam was a childhood staple of mine. He was a funny character that Bugs nearly always got the better of, and part of what made him fun was his “cursing.” “Dad-burn,” “Gold-Dern,” “Tarnation,” and “Galoot” are just a few examples of words that would have made people around 1900 blush or turn the nasty profanity-laced show-off. If Yosemite Sam’s dialog had been shown to someone in 1890, and you told them you wanted to put that into a play for kids, you might have been slugged. What was once profane can become a mild comedy for a kid show in a surprisingly short amount of time.  We see that today in everyday speech of non-Christians, what we call curse words don’t have the same power and are used frequently and for meanings they were never intended. In other words, what we once thought was normal has become profane. Meaning changes over time, and this catches up to ministry, which can be a serious problem for missionaries and can even affect a good Bible translation.

It is fun to see how words change over time, but for a missionary, it is important to know that words can carry a lot of cultural weight, far more than the simple definition of their meaning in a dictionary. Take one more example from my home state: The word is Cracker. It is used differently in Florida than even in other southern states. It carries a certain kind of cultural weight in meaning in the State of Florida compared to other places. All this despite many don’t even really know where it comes from or what the word used to mean. If I just told a foreigner that “cracker” means Florida native, I would not be lying. It is true. At the same time, I would not have informed them how to understand the word through every nuance of the cultural relevance in my home State.

When you hear about a missionary learning a new language, spare some extra prayer time for them. If they learn the textbook, use the language and the definitions of meanings, and can translate from their new language to English, their journey has just begun. Now, they must learn to be culturally effective with their language use and learn both culture and language to properly, truthfully, and accurately proclaim the truth of the Bible to their host culture. Even teaching the Bible is problematic because words change over time in every language and culture. Charity meant a certain kind of powerful love, once upon a time. Now, it means an organization designed to help people; charity is about giving resources to such organizations.

Many times, when the first missionaries translated the scriptures into a new language, they either didn’t understand all the cultural weight of a word, or perhaps they did, and the meaning just changed over time. Just like pastors in America often give us a more nuanced understanding of scripture by referring us to the Greeks, missionaries can do the same in their teaching, but they must be able to identify those problems in a whole new language and culture. That takes a lot of hard work, extra effort, and good friends.

Language is challenging; culture is difficult to understand and hard to participate in, but it is all light work compared to the weight of glory to come as we share the gospel effectively, ironically, and accurately with new people, new languages, and unique cultures all over the world. Even when you think about your ministry here in America, are you using the best, most effective language to reach people, or are you using Christian insider language that excludes the people you are inviting to join us in fellowship with Jesus? Using the right word is not always as easy as it seems.

Also, spare a thought for our great grandkids, who may one day be listening to very spicy language from their favorite cartoon characters!