The following is a commentary I originally wrote in 2011 about a list of words and phraseology I have often heard uttered during my life. Overtime the list grew to more than twenty different words and phrases. The initial use of each word or phrase in this essay is in bold, underlined, and italicized for easy identification.

The impetus for this written commentary is threefold. First, to avoid bursting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter at the very moment I hear such language by expressing my opinions and feelings in written form. Of course, the reality is the laughter still occurs. It just occurs away from the user in the hopes that he or she does not become cognizant of it. Second, it is my hope that this essay will give some color as to my attitudinal towards hearing such nomenclature. Please understand, I do not mean to offend. Despite the moments of levity, which occur with each new word or phrase, the reality is each instance of exposure leads to a philosophical reexamination of my understanding of what is being said, which leads to my third reason for investing my time in what is likely to be viewed as nonsense; educational enlightenment.  In a world where such nomenclature is widely used, understanding would be a drop in the bucket; no further examination would be needed. Unfortunately, this is not the case. While many times I understand the meaning of the nomenclature as defined by the dictionary or as generally understood by humankind, I do not always understand the intent behind the way the speaker uses such words.

My initial thoughts on the matter are that some of this nomenclature is indigenously developed; meaning it was developed within the creativity conclave of that innovative instrument known as the human mind. In some circles, this may be referred to as a Think Tank.  Further, I believe that a critical focus on the incubation process of the nomenclature would be strategically advantageous to the user. In layman’s terms, the user needs to think about what he or she is saying before it is said. Arguably, there must be some religion in this assumption given that a misunderstanding of this type of nomenclature might fail to drive performance. In other words, affect one’s thoughts, behavior or attitude. However, for such nomenclature to influence one’s performance, I believe one must reduce the cognitive dissonance that is experienced upon being exposed to such nomenclature. If not, I have no choice but to assume that it is what it is; it’s the nature of the beast.

Initially, I felt that to better understand the evolution of the use of such words and phrases, a careful examination of each nomenclature was required.  For example, consider my review of the terms Phraseology and Impetus.

Phraseology
As defined by the increasingly popular Dictionary.com, the word phraseology is a term whose first known use occurred sometime between 1655 and 1665. It was based on the erroneously coined Greek word phraseologia by German humanist Michael Neander. Regardless, Mr. Neander’s coining of the phrase is nothing but a blip on the radar. What is important is the meaning of the word phraseology. As defined by Dictionary.com, the word phraseology means “manner or style of verbal expression.” Based on this definition, clearly the users in question have an interesting way of verbally expressing themselves.

Impetus
Impetus, not to be confused with impotent which means lacking sufficient strength, powerless or unable to perform sexually. Impetus is a moving force, impulse or stimulus. It’s something that prompts, motivates or generates a response or reaction. Perhaps, the solution to impotence is an impetus. In this case, unusual or wrongly used nomenclature was the impetus for this strange and probably incoherent rant.

As you can see, I only managed to examine two of the myriad of words or phrases I have been exposed to.  In the end, I couldn’t make it happen.  The reality is after two words my opinion did not change; a critical focus on the incubation process of the nomenclature would be strategically advantageous to the user.

By the way, there is one more piece of phraseology I couldn’t figure out how to use, at least not in a way that made it fit with the rest of the story.  The phrase is, other side of the coin.  

P.S. Keep an eye out for Nomenclature: Part 2 coming in the next few days.

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