A Love Letter to Language

Why do you love words so much? I get asked often by people who meet me for the first time. I don’t have a direct answer to this. So, let me pen down my answer to you; I hope you find it as interesting as I do.

Hello my reader, I hope you are well.?

Let’s begin with my early introduction to words. My father worked as a Journalist for the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Abuja all the period I knew my father, I knew he wrote and loved news. My father held columns in various newspapers majorly around sports and politics. People feared my dada because they said his pen was dangerous and with one write-up he could put their careers in jeopardy, so they were careful around him in a good way.?

My father knew where to write to and who to write to. Whenever he faced injustice he wrote, when he was happy he wrote, when he was angry he wrote. We always had a bunch of A4 papers at home, he wrote in them and took them to the typing houses to type and sometimes sent to his Yahoo mail then. I grew up with a lot of penguin-published books. I read a lot, that my dad used to cease my books during exam periods. He would say, “Get your head out of fiction, science is the real world, and you’ll become a surgeon someday.” Lol, I didn’t become a surgeon.?

My chest tightens as I write my earliest memories because they come with a barrage of emotions I am not sure I’ve properly addressed yet. Let’s focus and not digress. So, I saw earlier how writing can solve problems, bring problems, and low out of proportion a small thing. My dad left Radio House, Abuja, and went to FERMA where he worked with the press, then it made me so happy to see FERMA on roads when we traveled home. I would say, “Daddy, look at your office,” he would laugh. In case you don’t know FERMA is Federal Roads Maintenance Agency. It is a Federal Government of Nigeria agency concerned with road construction, improvement, and connectivity between the States of Nigeria.

Then he moved to the UN where he worked with a body curtailing Bird Flu and Swine Flu in Nigeria. My dada did great work. He was super cool in my books, and so intelligent. He was a good father but not a so good husband. He wasn’t a good talker or social person, he was awkward with things and I wondered if he was neurodivergent and we didn’t know.?

What I am saying is my writing has roots, perhaps my grandfather too loved to write, I heard how much he loved school and the missionaries that came to our place then. He was fascinated by them and so sent his children to school so they could become like them. I believe he told stories the best way he could.?

My English teachers liked me because of my wordplay when we wrote articles, essays, and other narrative writings we did. But I wanted to be a surgeon. Now, in retrospect, if things went straight forward, I would have been graduating med school, thanks to strikes and whatnot in the Nigerian schooling system. My mind would be set to Jakpa once I am done. My mind is set to Jakpa too but I am approaching it differently now.

Why do I love words?

Well, it helps me heal, process emotions, get clarity on goals, and move on from what doesn’t work. It helps me comfort my friends, it brings me money, and it helps me contribute to the goals of companies, brands, and people seeking a new status in life; like authorship, medical school, PhD thesis, etc. I’ve applied this use for words diversely. I love words. It helps me connect with you and tell you my story. It helps me keep memories I might forget in the long run. It helps me leave a digital footprint, and write about artists, creatives, and stunning photographers like Mara. It helps me build friendships.?

Words give me access to people’s stories and world. I learn about them and I connect with them and see their dream. Storytelling is beautiful. It is encouraging. It helps you affirm and believe that you are somebody, it corrects wrongs, hurts, heal wounds, or soothes them. It brings you justice. There were many times my father faced injustice due to politics in federal work and his pen brought him justice.?

Words connect us across cultures, generations, and experiences. Conversations and storytelling bring empathy, understanding, and a sense of community. Reports according to word rated.com? highlights that:

• The average person speaks around 16,000 words in a day, with females (16,215 words) speaking slightly more than males (15,699).
• People speak around 941 words per hour, on average, during the typical day.
• The actual time people spend speaking during the day is around 1 hour and 54 minutes.
• Only 5% of words people use during the day are unique words, with all others being repeated.
• The average person uses between 2.67% and 3.35% of their vocabulary every day.

With this amount of words we use daily, how can you not believe in the power words hold and proclaim positive things? Seek spaces that uplift you and work with people who use respectful words, value timely responses, and just use words to the best of their ability. Not empty words, words that come from the essence of their being. This way you know those full of sh**t and those full of hope, and success on their terms and definitions.?

When we pray, we use our words to ask for mercy, grace, and whatever our needs are. I am learning constantly to make the words I speak and put out there count. I dislike people who through words around for the sake of them. With this, I hope we become conscious of the power words hold and use them positively.?

And in this lengthy ramble, I hope there’s some sense in it for you who read it. Thank you for reading.

With love,

Winifred.