E-mails

It has been a while since my last post, not to mention that my latest was far to serious for my taste. I won’t be doing that again for a while. It does make me wonder about myself, and about my approach to life. Am I really a serious person who acts flippant at times or a flippant person who acts serious at times? Although it may not seem desirable I have always been partial to the latter but with that last blog I begin to doubt myself. I am afraid that these will be the questions that haunt me the rest of my life...ok well maybe not the rest of my life, maybe not even the rest of the day. On second thought maybe I am just a logical person who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Well in any case this is not the blog to take care of this important question. So just about 30 minutes ago I was driving home after my back to back History classes (which always seem to open my mind) and I was thinking, as I listened to the radio, about something that I have never thought about before. Yesterday a friend of mine, who I was talking to on Instant Messenger said, "Oh, I was just about to send you an E-mail." As I reflected on this sentence today I realized something.

I understand why the process is called e-mail (Electronic Mail hence E-mail) but why in heavens name would we say I was going to send you an e-mail? When I said non-electronic or tangible mail I say that I sent a letter, not I just sent you "a mail". These incongruencies (did you know that incongruencies is not a word, yet it means what is says, I feel like Carroll or Shakespeare right now) cause me to wonder. No wonder so many immigrants have trouble with our language not to mention the natural born citizens themselves. Is it understood that we are fostering a society that is corrupting it's own language?!? I think we must not be and except it were for the good saints of the English world like Ms. Parrish (for you that don’t know, she is an excellent English teacher where I went to High school) the future of the English language would be in dire straits, even the most immanent peril. She, with her English department colleagues, is nearly single handedly turning the tide on linguistic decay, and to think we don't appreciate the significance of what they are doing! I am planning to Blog about my English experience and Ms. Parrish at a later date but first I need to get her permission. If you long to sate this linguistic hunger you must wait until my future installment which will be entitle, “Ms. Parrish”…or something like that.

I digress. The point is that I have decided to make a stand and from now on I will be saying. "Oh, I was just about to send you an E-letter." Surely that is more correct! I know, I know. What a dumb thing to take a stand on, especially when I will sound silly while doing it, but if I don’t who will. Now does someone really need to take a stand on so “silly” a point? I think so. I for one will be firm in this arena. I will be found using E-letter in every situation that demands it.

I challenge all of you to stand with me, to fight this demon that threatens the beauty of a Language that brought us Shakespeare, Elliot, Thoreau, Seuss and many more! If we do not unite now on this hollowed yet public web page, all could be lost! I hope that all will see the wisdom of this argument and will join with me by turning the internet world upside down by using the word E-letter instead of E-mail when describing what is being sent. Flood cyberspace with it, make it the vernacular of the masses! Together we can and will be victorious!