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May 16, 2005
Talking to a Point
If I'm going to talk to you, it would be understood that my words are aimed your general direction (whether over the phone or in person, it doesn't matter). If I'm going to drive to the store, then it would be understood that I am going to maneuver my car in the direction of a business which sells items. Knowing that whenever anybody (fill in a verb here) TO something, they are doing something physically involving something else.
This brings me to a point that drives me up the wall at my place of business. Many people choose to say they're going to "talk to a point" or "talk to that" or something along those lines. When I hear somebody request for another to "please talk to that point" then I visualize the requestee looking at the point of their finger and talking. Sure, they might claim that if we're playing semantics games, I suppose that by talking 'to' a point would be them actually discussing items leading up to the point, making a clear path of how a certain point was established. Continuing with these games, then by talking "about" something, you would never actually get to the point, you'd just beat around the bush.
Doubting that anybody has thought of it like that, and just imagining people talking to some pointed fingers, let's think of some other things that might be great for people to talk "to":
- The door
- A cactus
- My hand as I slap you silly
- A dictionary
- Your third grade English teacher
To all of you who choose to continue to say that you're going to "talk to a point", please don't mind me when I stick a wooden dowel in your face for you to continue your discussion