One of the qualities of humankind that distinguishes us from other species, and which relates us closely with our Father in Heaven, is the ability to communicate using language. Speaking and listening, reading and writing, are such a natural part of everyday life for most of us that we rarely stop to consider the fact that we are performing a miracle. In the opinion of the late Danish linguist Otto Jespersen, “In his whole life man achieves nothing so great and so wonderful as what he achieved when he learned to talk” (Richard Lederer, The Miracle of Language [New York: Pocket Books, 1991], p. 224).
Given the divine and miraculous nature of human language, it seems to me that it is incumbent upon us, the beneficiaries of this gift, to use language in a way that reflects its venerable status and sacred origin. . . . Like many of our Father in Heaven’s blessings, language can be used as a force to bring about much righteousness, to bless us and to bless the lives of those around us. But it can also be used as a tool of destruction. It can edify and uplift as well as vilify and destroy.