What's in a word?

What's in a word? I have been thinking about this off and on for quite awhile. I am not quite sure what sparked this latest thought train, but it has slowly but steadily been chugging away in my brain for about a week.

What do I mean by "what's in a word?"

First example -- Alabaster vs. pale.

"She has such lovely alabaster skin" or "She is quite pale."

Hmm, I know which one I choose.

To me, alabaster brings images of beauty and class and many things wonderful, while pale gives me visions of frail and sickly things.

Another example -- make love vs. have sex.

Oh my lord, I think there is even a 50 Cent lyric about this... let me check...

Indeed I was right. Courtesy 50.

"I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love "

Actually, a very succinct way of expressing what I was thinking, thank you Mr. Cent.

There are so many more that I could list but those are the ones that came most quickly to mind.

It just brings such an interesting spin to language and the power that it has. Just ask Rahm Emanuel, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and the folks at Special Olympics. They have been embroiled in a national... ummm, snit? over the word "retard" and its use.

Remember the rhyme, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me? Oh, how I vehemently disagree. Words can do such harm if used carelessly or with venom. The opposite is true, words have the power to calm, to express admiration, praise or love.

As I am writing this, I am thinking of how many facets this topic has in my mind. Just skimming the surface and I can think of so many things -- the power of political language, the 1st Amendment, grammar and how it can divide people along education lines just to name a few.

I think this will be something I post about again in the future. Just get my musings out there in the great land of the internet.

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

-Mark Twain