Why We Need Clichés
Clichés. Since they have such a negative connotation (hackneyed, overused), why then are they still so popular? Orin Hargraves gave the question some thought and realized that clichés serve several purposes. Like keeping the conversation flowing (after all, how many of us can say something original on most topics anyway?!). Further, he says some clichés are actually useful since they have become a universally understood way of conveying something e.g. “On the other hand”. Even something as overused as “At the end of the day” serves a purpose: “In speech it has pragmatic value in notifying listeners of a juncture: for example, that the speaker has uttered, or is about to utter, the gist of her argument, or that a contrasting idea is about to be presented.” And then there is their use to new speakers of a language. Why? “The trepid speaker, with the vastness of the English lexicon lapping at his feet, can take comfort by easily stepping on to one of these clumpy islan...