Civil war soldiers sent letters home to their loved ones during the conflict. Many were under-educated and were poor spellers. Their punctuation also left much to be desired. However, their kit bag of verbal precision was varied and full. The written word can be beautiful and fragrant in its precision but, alas, the flora to be found gracing the English language have been all but left to wither.

True, some writers and orators in later years enjoyed the  opportunities afforded by the sun-drenched fields and rock solid quarries of  pleonastic and explicit locutions. The interpretive discourses employed by such folks as Winston Churchill, H.L. Mencken and William F. Buckley Jr. could bring laughter, wonder and introspection to today’s population if it could but decipher the words.

Here is a common complaint:

Like, it is, like, dudes can’t get down with, like, BOOFs, cause they be talkin’ smack. Numb-meen?  Motha-f***ers be chillin’ in their crib…numb-sane? And don’t be talking to their crotch fruit.  Numb-sane? Snap! Okay, my bad. Dog, lem’me ax you a question and s**t. Like, does old dudes even know when they be jive talkin’? Numb-meen? Shee-it!  What they be jivin’ ’bout? Word! It be the bomb if I dug their s**t, ex-cetra. Like, dude…comprede vous, bee-ach?                           (Certainly floral, with a charmingly thorough lack of precision and economy.)

Translation: I don’t understand English and wish I did.            (Short and sweet but, sadly ,In this case, less floral).

One problem:  Most young folks not only don’t read the likes of Mencken. Some can’t even spell his initials.