It always amazes me whenever I find out that the day I woke up to is a day designated to celebrate something no one in their right mind would ever think needed to be celebrated.
For example, when I logged in to LinkedIn this morning, I found out today is National Grammar Day and getproofed.com wrote a blog on things to do to celebrate grammar. Check out their post here if grammar is a favorite thing you want to celebrate.
Personally, I don’t know anyone who loves grammar, not even writers or editors like me. It’s a tool for us, usually one we’re relatively good at using, either because we’ve been trained to use it by having the rules drummed mercilessly into our heads for years, or because we are just naturally good at it. Some people are good at math and some people are good at grammar. Interestingly, both are a form of language. But I digress.
Grammar, however you feel about it—and sometimes its a real love-hate relationship—is only a framework for organizing the other tools we use —words—to create the things we love most in the world. Stories.
Of course, it’s the stories that matter, and the words and grammar we use to tell them make them understandable and memorable to others. Without them communication between one person and another, or many others, would not happen. Novels would not be written, cookbooks would not help us create tasty meals, and how-tos would not help us fix that pesky leak from the pipe under the kitchen sink. Even plays and movies would not be around to teach us or move our souls.
Without grammar, we would still be communicating momentous events and common everyday experiences to each other through interpretive dance. While that might be a fun and interesting way to tell your friends and neighbors that the neighborhood store has chicken on sale at a fantastic price, it’s definitely not a practical use of your time and effort. It might be a great way to loose a couple of pounds or stay in shape, but it’s not going to get your point across quickly and easily—and most importantly, accurately.
I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without the ability to communicate with words. I would not have been able to feed my family. I would not have gone to college. I would not have been able to shake off the stress of my work day by immersing my mind in a novel. I would not have been able to write down the strange musings of my mind or express the creativity that tumbles around my brain at all hours of the day or night.
Whoever invented grammar should be knighted, at the very least, or given the Nobel Prize and lauded in every country around the world. For without it, our world would be nothing like what we have now. We would likely still be at the caveman stage of civilization and constantly on the verge of starvation.
So yes. Today is a great day to celebrate grammar. For that matter, every day is a great day to celebrate grammar.
Happy National Grammar, everyone!
Oh, and if you want to know what other interesting things you can celebrate today (today is also National Hug a G.I. Day, for example), or tomorrow (National Cheese Doodle Day), or any day of the year, for that matter, check out the website at nationaldaycalendar.com. They have a list of everything there is to celebrate, whenever you want to celebrate anything. I’m not sure who determines these things, but if nothing else, it’ll give you a laugh.
Have a great rest of your day.
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