Who that?

I have an admission to make. I am a language geek. (Or is it a nerd? I have difficulty distinguishing between those words. And to a language geek/nerd it matters.) I love language. I believe that proficiency with language gives us more power in the world. That’s the reason I, as a substitute teacher, usually choose to take English classes as my assignments.

When I speak of language, I don’t just mean words and their meaning. I also mean syntax, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and all the other aspects of language that make one a great writer or speaker.

Consequently, I have a lot of concern about how language is misused by so many people. I’m not judgmental about it. I just wish people were more careful about what they say and write so that they could communicate more clearly. One of my special interests is how people use language in such a way that they subtly communicate something other than what they mean.

And that brings me to the topic for this post. I can’t begin to say how often I see people referred to as “that” in writing and hear it in speaking. For example, “I have a sister that likes to go hiking” or “Will people that like to sing please come to our choir meeting.”

“That” refers to objects, to things. When we use “that” to refer to people, we’re subtly objectifying them. Whenever I see or hear people referred to as “that” I wince to myself.

“Who” is the word that refers to a person. “I have a sister who likes to go hiking.” “Will people who like to sing please come to our choir meeting.” Those sentences tell us the speaker/writer is talking about people and not about pieces of furniture or rocks – or worse yet, about someone they’re choosing to treat disrespectfully.

OK, now you can all go ahead and say/write whatever you want. I’ve had the privilege of telling you my perception of the issue, and maybe some of you will think about it a little. That’s enough.

Namaste,
Michael