<<Print>>

�The ineffable dunce has nothing to say and says it with a liberal embellishment of bad delivery embroidering it with reasonless vulgarities of attitude, gesture and attire. There never was an impostor so hateful, a blockhead so stupid, a crank so variously and offensively daft. He makes me tired,� Ambrose Bierce (about Oscar Wilde, 1882). Insult (pronounced: in� sult) (as a verb) means �to say or do something very scornful, rude or harsh to�. It also means �to attack; assail�. In Old English, it means �to behave with scornful pride or insolence�, as in Shakespeare�s King Henry VI Part 3, the Earl of Rutland remarked before Lord Clifford: �So looks the pent-up lion o�er the wretch That trembles under his devouring paws; And so he walks, insulting o�er his prey, And so he comes, to rend his limbs asunder�. Insult (pronounced: in�sult) (as a noun) means �an insulting speech or action, affront; indignity�. An insult applies to an insolent and contemptuous speech or act with the intention to humiliate or annoy a person. An affront is a deliberate and open show of disrespect. Indignity refers to an act or a speech that hurts a person�s feelings or dignity. Study these sentences: The watchman insulted me when he called me a liar. To be called a liar is an insult. The Libyan rebels insulted the green flag of Libya by burning it openly. Harsh noises insulted our ears. Refusing to eat at her residence was an affront to my sister. The article was an insult to the intelligence of the readers. Retorting, when a teacher is addressing students, is an indignity to the teacher. The phrase: �to add insult to injury� means �to make matters worse�, e.g. To add insult to injury, the passengers refused to pay the transport fare, after they had refused to alight at the lorry station. �Brusque� (adjective) means �abrupt in manner or speech�. It is synonymous with �blunt�, �curt� or �bluff�. For example: Instead of refusing the food by saying: �No, thank you�, the labourer was brusque in saying �I don�t like the food�. Harsh, vitriolic words spewed out of a rotten mouth can irritate a person, or injure or wound a person�s character. Some words constitute offensive language. For human communications, some statements have to be toned down and embellished. This can be done without mentioning a cow when one sees a sheep or a black cat when ones sees a white one, just because there are several ways of killing a black or white cat. Lies, unadulterated perjury and offensive propaganda could be deadly: they can maim or kill; they can defame or squib. A deputy minister on a Metro TV programme thinks the communications man lacks intelligence. He says so in a sentence cleverly spun in malapropism. The communications man naturally gets hurt and asks the host to demand a withdrawal. The deputy does not withdraw. The communications man is impelled to insult the deputy: �You are a stupid fool�. Some days later, the communications man says the incident was �a regrettable development� and hoped it would never happen again. They belong to different political parties, but both of them are Ghanaians. Some people have the propensity or penchant to insult. They are naturally predisposed towards insulting. Others are hardly the same. It could be genetical or hereditary. It could also be learnt, imbibed or induced. The communications man on another programme says he has been advised to �insult more nicely�. How can one �insult nicely�? By pretending he does not feel hurt by the interlocutor�s effusions? By refusing to attack back? By using euphemistic language, that is, by using a mild, indirect expression or an agreeable phrase to replace one that is harsh, offensive or unpleasant, e.g. �to neutralise� for �to kill�; �go to the other side� for �to die�; �tired and emotional� for �drunk�. The �taboo words� (forbidden words) must be exchanged for �words of good omen�. Some words are �politically correct�; others are not. Politically correct words avoid vocabulary that is conceivably construed as discriminatory or pejorative. Sometimes, one could use �circumlocution� to avoid insulting other people. �Circumlocution� means �speaking around� a given word. That is where the word meant is not mentioned directly but is implied or inferred. One can be killed by �lethal injection� which means putting to death by �poisoning� OR �the child with an intellectual disability� for �an idiot, imbecile or moron�. Here, note that �mentally retarded� is no longer as fashionable as it used to be. �Nice� (nicely) is an over-used word in Ghana. A nice girl may be an attractive or beautiful girl. A nice meal may be a sumptuous, tasty, delicious or delectable meal. Nice shoes may be sleek, stylish or fashionable shoes. Nice flowers may be beautiful, luscious or voluptuous flowers. Nice hair may be well-groomed or well-styled hair. A nice outfit may be a smart outfit. A nice car may be a new, flamboyant, flashy car. A nice song may be a sweet, melodious, pleasant, beautiful, enjoyable song. A nice environment may be a tidy, neat, sweet-scented environment. A nice dress may be a stunning or gorgeous dress. However, �nice� can be effectively used in describing a well-bred, benign or kind character OR a fine weather, e.g. Mr. Danquah is a nice gentleman; he seems to have a ready smile for everyone who calls on him. With such a nice weather, I believe we shall enjoy our outing tonight. In �So, Insults Hurt�, rhetorically put, the veteran communicator, Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh, thinks: �Stupid fools will always call others unintelligent because they are stupid fools who cannot figure out what is unintelligent because they are stupid fools�. The wordsmith (skilled user or maker of words) may not be as graphical in analysing �stupid� and �fool�; whether there is exaggeration (a representation of something as greater than it really is � a hyperbolic statement) or assonance (the repetition of similar sounds in a poetic arrangement) or consonance (the repetition of the consonant sounds in words in a line of poetry). The bottom line is that insults can and need be avoided. If someone else�s speech gets on your nerves (annoys you) remember to go by the book (follow the rules) and do not take the law into your own hands. Avoid people with acidic or acerbic tongues; rather, if you meet people without a smile on their faces, give them one of yours. By Africanus Owusu-Aansah