Nonplussed
Aside from all the racial and cultural epithets that are being hurled with more and more frequency, there is a particular word that I genuinely do not like. It constantly confuses me; its use makes me stumble and bumble even though I am very familiar with it. I’ve seen it written and heard it spoken numerous times. Each time this happens, I furrow my brow and wish the author or speaker had chosen another word.
I vowed a long time ago to never use this word in my own writing. Why? I simply do not like it. Words should not create confusion and ambiguity unless that is the intent of the writer. And I must say that this word always leaves me dazed; I guess you could say that when I read it or hear it, I am nonplussed.
Author’s Note: Yes, I realize that I promised never to use “that word” in my writing, but I have thought about it and have no choice. I can’t write about “nonplussed” without typing “nonplussed.” And for those of you who think that is ironic, don’t get me started. That is a topic for a distant day.
I have been researching this tricky word, and I have found that I am not alone in my dislike for it. Let’s be generous and just say that its definition seems to be evolving. In fact, I think that about half the people who use it believe that it means the opposite of what it actually does. Like I said, its use leaves me confused.
That said, let’s see if we can get to the “root” of the problem.
Author’s Note: So, an attempt to get to the “root” of the problem? Of course, I must mean the Latin roots of the word. I also dislike writing about Latin. I mean, those people had a different word for everything. Sure, some of it is pretty close but…
Non and plus in Latin translates to “no more.” And the way I see it, it is that negative prefix, the non in nonplussed, that is responsible for all the confusion. Can you think of another word for confused that has a negative prefix? A negative prefix implies that the person in question is not confused. See how confusing this is? You shouldn’t be wondering why I have banned this word from my vocabulary. If you are, read on.
Historically, nonplussed meant confused or bewildered to the point you can not speak. Simple enough, but, once again, we have the negative prefix problem. Non implies you are not confused; at least it should, right?
In popular use, nonplussed means unfazed, not bothered, or even unimpressed. See all the “un” prefixes? It seems to me that the popular usage makes more sense.
The big problem is the “non” prefix. That negative prefix implies that if a person is nonplussed, they are not “plussed,” which means they are unfazed. As Charlie Brown says, Good Grief. In popular use, the word means something akin to the opposite of its historical definition. And yes, I am nonplussed.
I am all for the evolution of language. It is going to happen no matter what any of us do to stop the changes. My gripe is that words shouldn’t suddenly mean the opposite of what they historically have meant. If I could somehow fix this problem, that would be really sick. I mean, people would view me as a bad dude, right? They might even call me the goat. Or maybe they all would be too nonplussed to care. Sigh…
