Run is the word.
Recently, National Public Radio broadcasted Neal Conan interviewing British linguist Simon Winchester about a recent etymological discovery. Winchester announced that the lexicographer Peter Gilliver found in his research for the new edition of the Oxford English Dictionary that the word ‘run’ has more meanings than any other word in our language with a grand total of 645.
At first this baffled me, but then I started thinking about how we inadvertently use it in common expressions: you leave the faucet running, things run amok, the house is run-down, journalists run the story, it runs on electricity etc. The meaning of the word constantly changes according to its context.
Americans usage of the word ‘run’ provides insight to how they view their experience and their world. To express the same concept, speakers of other languages use almost polar opposite verbs. Though this news might seem like academic minutia, this linguistic detail displays the sharply different social mores.
During the interview, people phoned into the radio program to offer the different uses of the word. These are some that stood out to me:
‘The clock is running’: We often say this to describe time, but this is not a universal description. Spanish-speakers say, “the clock walks” (using the verb “caminar”).
English speakers see time as fast and fleeting, but Spanish-speakers view it as more leisurely and undemanding. To Americans, time is out of our control, something that we can barely keep up with. However, the standard measurement is consistent and steady; we’re the ones that are out of control.
Another example was ‘run for office’: When there is a presidential, congressional, senatorial etc. election, the candidates use the verb ‘run’, but once again, American-English speakers are alone in this. In England, political hopefuls ‘stand for office,’ a much more stately and firm description. The static versus mobile form of expression also demonstrates noteworthy differences in American politics and British politics.
‘Run with him’: In an Andy Griffith episode, Andy asks a woman whom he’s interested in, “Are you gonna run with him or are you gonna run with me?” British-English speakers, however, would never say this; instead, they would say, “Are you going to set with him?” According to this expression, the British have a more permanent and firm understanding of a relationship while Americans have a more adventurous and active idea of romance.
In the United States, fast means passion. And these heat-of-the-moment affairs offer the immediate gratifications that Americans are well-known for seeking. We would never use the word ‘set’ to describe a romance because it sounds conservative and somewhat dull. No drama, no interest.
Winchester explains that ‘run’ is such a popular verb now because “it is a feature of our more sort of energetic and frantic times.”
The news of the various meanings of ‘run’ has sophistic thinkers fixating even more on the fine points of our language. Logophiles, get excited.
Reach the columnist at mgrichar@asu.edu
