We have issues around this turn of phrase
A reader has written in to take issue with the way a woman I quoted in a recent column expressed herself. The subject was the flow of words to which affluent parents subject their children but poorer parents do not. The woman in question spoke of 鈥渇luid conversations around shared rituals and objects鈥� within a family.
Dear Reader observes that she has heard the 鈥渘ew golden-boy Around used in place of other prepositions over the last year鈥� and wonders whether 鈥渢here is a profound and compelling reason why so many people nowadays are unwilling to commit to what they are, in fact, talking About.鈥�
Hmm. Interesting observation. In the instance at hand, I鈥檓 inclined to cut the woman quoted some slack. Her usage was relatively concrete, roughly analogous to 鈥渃onversation around the punch bowl鈥�; who would quibble with that?聽
But Dear Reader鈥檚 complaint makes some sense if about is understood to mean 鈥渙n the subject of鈥� or 鈥渇ocused on鈥� (鈥淭his book is about butterflies鈥�), and 鈥渁round鈥� is used to signify more loosely 鈥渞elated to鈥� or 鈥渢angential to.鈥� That distinction can be widely observed around us. And the 鈥渢angential鈥� around may be construed as signifying a certain distance, if not lack of 鈥渃ommitment.鈥�
(Tangential, by the way, is from Latin, rooted in the idea of 鈥渢ouching,鈥� which ought to mean it refers to something directly relevant to something else. The word has come to mean, though, that which only just touches something else, like the line touching a circle at only one point. But I digress.)
Etymologically, about springs from that same idea of 鈥渙utside but encircling鈥� as does around. The latter, rare before 1600, came into English with the Norman Conquest and has largely replaced that sense of about.
Dear Reader astutely observes that usurping around 鈥渕ost often takes over in discussions about well, discussions, or questions, dialogues, concerns, or issues.鈥澛�
Linguists call this 鈥渕etadiscourse鈥� 鈥� talk about talk. A neophyte public speaker following the counsel 鈥淭ell them what you鈥檙e going to say, tell them, and then tell them what you鈥檝e told them鈥� is using metadiscourse. It can be useful, but it can drive people nuts. 聽
My own issue with issues around is with issues. It can be a useful term for 鈥減ublic topics鈥� 鈥� 鈥淚 always know where my congressman stands on the issues.鈥� But it鈥檚 often a euphemism for 鈥渟erious problems.鈥�
Here鈥檚 a sentence ripped from the the other day: 鈥淭he [Irish] Defence Minister Simon Coveney has admitted there is an issue around low pay for personnel in the forces, and that he plans to review it.鈥�
In a perfect world of plain speaking, this sentence would read, 鈥淭he Defence Minister Simon Coveney has admitted that soldiers aren鈥檛 paid enough and promises to raise their wages.鈥� Alas, we may not have reached that perfect world.
