This commentary will last a total of two and a half minutes. That is, I have 425 words to make my point. It isn’t much.
I spend my days thinking about language, learning its history, codifying it, teaching students what words meant in the past and how they, the young generation, attach new meanings to them as they push words into the future.
I also teach the wonders of style, the capacity to make words our own. All of us have a style. Style is personality. Style is the essence of you. Yves St. Laurent once said that fashion dies, but style endures.
The structure of these types of commentaries is that of an arc.
Though there's no set roadmap, usually. In the first third, the commentator — me, in this case — introduces a topic. Maybe something hotly debated, like how building a wall will only imprison us.
Then that topic is discussed.
And then toward the end, the writer pulls out all the stops, hoping to leave the listener with an idea that germinates. For that to happen, it should be done with flair.
I’m up to word 183, and oops! I haven’t gotten around yet to specifically stating my topic. How about this? I’m in favor of saying things clearly and elegantly.
There's something about the constraints in commentary that leads to coming up with what the French call "le mot juste." It’s an excellent exercise in caring for words, as good advertisements and inspiring speakers do. One doesn't just say whatever. Each word is a thing of beauty. Finding their right place can be a joy.
OK, I’m reaching the end of my commentary and you’re probably wondering, is he done?
To which I say: not quite. One paragraph more, enough for me to add: try it! Life itself has a timer. We don’t have an infinite number of words at our disposal. Let’s not waste them. Let’s pay tribute to words by giving them the place and value they deserve.
That’s it. I’m out of time. Now I’m done!
Ilan Stavans is publisher of Restless Books and teaches the humanities at Amherst College. He hosts the NEPR podcast In Contrast.
