Have you ever paused to think about how bizarre our everyday language actually is? If someone ever told you to "spill the beans," did you imagine getting a confession, or get a sudden, chaotic image of baked beans rolling across the kitchen floor?
Going back to when I was young and growing up, my brain instantly chose the second option. Living with ASD, I spent my years growing up taking language literally. Looking back, to me, idioms weren't clever shortcuts. They were linguistic puzzles that didn't seem to have any logical rules. If you have ever struggled to understand neurodivergent communication, or if you are learning English as a second language, there's a chance you probably felt that exact same frustration too.
On the surface, figurative language can make no sense. But over time, I gradually discovered one of a few ways that proved useful. That approach was to do with reading about the history and origins of idioms themselves.
Every confusing phrase we use today was once, for example, a completely literal description of an event from the past. When you uncover the historical origin of an idiom, the logical connection between the words and their modern meaning suddenly clicks into place. Looking at language through the lens of history doesn't just help decode idioms. For me it can reveal how the human mind creates connections over centuries.
Whether you are a fellow literal thinker, a language lover, or someone who may be interested in exploring human communication from a different perspective, looking backward can be another way to understand how we speak today.
Soon below, you'll be able to watch a video breakdown on this topic, where I'll talk about the fascinating history of certain phrases, including:
So, feel free to check back soon if you may wish to watch the video.
Looking back, when I was younger, I admit to often interpreting language very literally. Because of this, figurative expressions like idioms and metaphors sometimes caused me some degree of confusion, as I expected them to make direct, concrete sense. For example, when I first heard the idiom “an arm and a leg,” I imagined it […]
Do you know anyone who may seem different from the rest of us, particularly in the way they may interact with others and the world in general? Are they particularly gifted at certain things like music? Are they sensitive to certain stimuli, like loud noises? If so, they may have a condition known as autism. […]
This post will be part of a few posts where I plan to use my improved understanding to apply to topics in subjects I found more difficult during my school days as a result of my difficulties with processing language. My language and understanding meant I’d find it difficult to apply new knowledge and concepts […]
