Certainly ordinary language has no claim to be the last word, if there is such a thing.
quote by J.L. Austin

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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She Ain't Your Ordinary Girl
(Robert Jason)
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She don't love carelessly that's what I've always heard
'Can't use the usual lines she measures every word
No empty promises proof is what it takes to win her heart
The truth and nothing less, simple things that set her far apart
Save your diamonds and your furs she's not your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, no she's not
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, oh no
She ain't your ordinary girl
No midnight alibis, no foolish games for her
And if you cross the line you'll get what you deserve
But when you see her smile nothing seems to matter anymore
And in a little while you'll feel like you've never felt before
Like no other in the world, she's not your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, no she's not
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary, oh no
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
Save your diamonds and your furs, she ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary
She ain't your ordinary girl
song performed by by Alabama

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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How Ordinary Language Becomes Poetic
do not worry about images
leave it to the wise imagination of the reader
do not insult his powers
of extending the meaning of your ordinary language
beyond what you
are thinking or saying with utmost intention to drive your point
the poetry of indeterminacy
the meanings hidden in such plain words
as wolf and sheep
shepherd to this staff
river to stones
and clouds to rain and rain and rain and rain
and yes the trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrainnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn,
do not be too concerned
with form, the form comes and takes the shape desire before your eyes
what i am driving at is that
ordinary language becomes too poetic when
you shake because it is a very cold rain pouring in your roof
and you have no one
and you have no other place to go and you cannot call him because
he is too busy with other
matters of equal importance
i could be him and you could be her, in this ordinary language of
disappointments
why we met and why we regret the meeting and union
oh, why speak about something too poetic when ordinary language
can be so poetic
about pain, and hypocrisy, and mendicancy
of emotions, She herself is one of the few constant
features
on that landscape.
Wary, as always,
of holistic paradigms for the literary history
of poetry
dynamic, interactive condition of experimental poetry today
i cannot think
of any other recommendation,
Christian Boltanski's simulated documentaries,
I cannot think of a better introduction
to contemporary
poetry, this, oh,
so you understand a thing?
alright, how do you do?
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Neither Aristotelian nor Russellian rules give the exact logic of any expression of ordinary language; for ordinary language has no exact logic.
quote by Peter Frederick Strawson

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Ordinary Boys
Ordinary boys, happy knowing nothing
Happy being no-one but themselves
Ordinary girls, supermarket clothes
Who think its very clever to be cruel to you
For you were so different
You stood all alone
And you knew
That it had to be so
Avoiding ordinary boys
Happy going nowhere, just around here
In their rattling cars
Ordinary girls
Never seeing further
Than the cold, small streets
That trap them
But you were so different
You had to say no
When those empty fools
Tried to change you, and claim you
For the lair of their ordinary world
Where they feel so lucky
So lucky, so lucky
With their lives laid out before them
They are lucky
So lucky, so lucky
So lucky, so ...
song performed by by Morrissey

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ordinary Girl
How will I know if someone loves me
How will I know if there is no one else
Dying to have someone who loves me
But I want them to love me for myself
Looked for love in all the wrong places
I searched the moon and stars
Found myself lost in a world full of faces
The place I didn't look was my heart
I've been all around the world try to find something new,
Lord knows that something was you
'Cause I found in myself the one thing that is true
All I want is an ordinary girl
All I need is an ordinary girl
Ordinary
All I want is someone I can talk to
Someone I can lean on now and then
And I don't wanna lie, pretend I am someone else
I am just looking for a friend
My heart was going through so many changes,
I didn't know which way to turn
Just when I thought I had all of the answers
I found I still had so much to learn
I've been all around the world try to find something new,
Lord knows that something was you
'Cause I found in myself the one thing that is true
All I want is an ordinary girl
All I need is an ordinary girl
Ordinary
Someone to love me
Ordinary
I just wanna feel lost in love forever
wanna see that look in your eyes
I hope that you understand what I am saying, baby
Cause girl I need you right by my side
I've been all around the world trying to find something new,
Lord knows that something was you
'Cause I found in myself
the one thing that is true
All I want is an ordinary girl
All I need is an ordinary girl
Ordinary
Someone to love me
Ordinary
[Talking:]
You know I've been all around the world
trying to find someone new
he, you know what e
song performed by by Lionel Richie

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Every Little Thing She Does
(jeffrey steele/al anderson/bob dipiero)
Ooh, when I see her in my tee shirt
Brushin her teeth, dancin to the radio
Ooh, her coffee and her kissin
The way she looks at me, I hate to see her leave
But I sure love watchin her go
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
I keep fallin in love with every single simple
Ordinary little thing she does
Ooh, paintin on her toenails
Watchin tv, got her mama on the telephone
Ooh, in a corner at a party
She puts down her drink, gives me a little wink
And says wait til I get you home
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
I keep fallin in love with every single simple
Ordinary little thing she does
Listenin to her breathe, watchin her when she sleeps
The bubbles in her bath, the funny little laugh
Oh yea, oh yea, oh yea
Every little thing she does
Every little thing she does
I keep fallin in love with every single simple
Ordinary little thing she does
song performed by by Lonestar

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Given Pounds and five years, and an ordinary man can in the ordinary course, without any undue haste or putting any pressure upon his taste, surround himself with books, all in his own language, and thence forward have at least one place in the world.
quote by Augustine Birrell

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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An Ordinary Girl
From an ordinary house, in an ordinary road,
From an ordinary town there came an ordinary girl,
A face that looked surprised, a book of dog earred loans?
Never made a sound, never said a word,
Nothing was ever seen, nothing was ever heard,
In an ordinary town, and an ordinary girl.
She's feeling, outrageous, so daft and courageous,
She's laughing, flirtacious, we're falling, unconscious,
She's selfish, and needy, she's wanton and greedy,
She's mugging, her lovers, she's bleeding her brothers from the level?
In an ordinary house, in an ordinary town,
Upon an ordinary street, nothing was ever found,
By an ordinary girl who never made a sound.
She's up in, the attic, she's bristling, with static
???
She's wanton, and needy, she's selfish and greedy,
She's mugging, her lovers, she's bleeding her brothers from the level?
The ones she's, been kissing, are strangely, gone missing,
The day when you wed her, you saw me unteather,
This feeling, no never, they all went together
With an ordinary girl
song performed by by I Am Kloot

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ordinary Dream
I couldnt really understand at all
The writing on the wall
From you to me
A jigsaw puzzle of a twisted tale
That set its lonely sail
From you to me
cause I tried to get the message
But its not understood
Wide apart and so far away
It mattered at the start until I realized instead ....
Im floating in a troubled sky
Watching you as you go by
In an ordinary dream
Im sailing on a troubled sea
Watching you as you watch me
In an ordinary dream
I couldnt understand a word it said
The letter that I read
From you to me
I couldnt fathom out the stuff you wrote
So I guess its just a joke
From you to me
Though reality keeps calling me away from my dream
And the wreakage isnt all it might have been
Didnt matter at the start until I realized it did
Im floating in a troubled sky
Watching you as you go by
In an ordinary dream
Im sailing on a troubled sea
Watching you as you watch me
In an ordinary dream
Im floating in a troubled sky
Watching you as you go by
In an ordinary dream
Im sailing on a troubled sea
Watching you as you watch me
In an ordinary dream
Ordinary dream
Ordinary dream
song performed by by Electric Light Orchestra

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A little extra, from an extra ordinary woman
She goes out of her way and travels that extra mile
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She consoles you, smiles with you, cries with you and for you
A little extra than anyone else
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She spends on you a little extra than she does on her own self
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She uses her extra strength and wisdom to pick you up when you fall
She blinds her sight to your imperfections
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She loves you a little extra just to stand out different
From all those who love you
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She starves herself so that you may eat a little extra
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She forgives you all the time
Even when you guilty mind knows you don’t deserve such kindness
Because she is an extra ordinary woman
She may not be the most perfect woman but
She is indeed an extra ordinary woman
She is your mother, your wife, your fiancee, your girlfriend
Your sister, your grandmother and your daughter
You best appreciate her
poem by Grace Mdemu

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The f word and me
The other day we discussed reasons
why people use
the magical f word.
a Young woman is of the opinion
that it’s because of a lack of imperfect language,
where a person’s vocabulary
lacks other words to use.
I think that there are many more other reasons
to slip in everywhere
and that vocabulary
has very little
or nothing to do with it.
One thing that can incite it
is exposure,
where people hear it
hundreds of times
every day
like in an army.
Subsequently without intention
it becomes part of your conversation
and your own vocabulary,
without drawing any attention
with yourself.
The word f is a power word
that give colour intensity
to the meanings of other words
and it can underline, emphasize
or lift some out.
You can also use it as a word
that has many meanings
and use it like a good shifting spanner
that shift for meaning values.
This word can also
be almost any word type
that gives bigger power
to other words used with it.
The thing that really matters
what others read
in the meaning of my words
and if I loose integrity by using it.
There are times
my mother wants to catch a fit
when I use the f word
and not from the meaning
of my words,
but from the negative context
that can be drawn with the word
and the easy transfer
of the word on children that hear my dialogue.
[With thanks to Skymaster, whose article inspired this poem.]
poem by Gert Strydom

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Name
There's a word for it
And words don't mean a thing
There's name for it
And names make all the difference in the world
Some things can never be spoken
Some things cannot be pronounced
That word does not exist in any language
It will never be uttered by a human mouth
Let x make a statement
Let breath pass through those cracked lips
That man was my hero
And now that word has been taken from us
Some things can never be spoken
Some things cannot be pronounced
That word does not exist in any language
It will never be uttered by a human mouth
Give me back my name
Give me back my name
Something has been changed in my life
Something has been changed in my life
Something must be returned to us
Something must me returned to us
song performed by by Talking Heads

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Give Me Back My Name
There's a word for it
And words don't mean a thing
There's name for it
And names make all the difference in the world
Some things can never be spoken
Some things cannot be pronounced
That word does not exist in any language
It will never be uttered by a human mouth
Let X make a statement
Let breath pass through those cracked lips
That man was my hero
And now that word has been taken from us
Some things can never be spoken
Some things cannot be pronounced
That word does not exist in any language
It will never be uttered by a human mouth
Give me back my name
Give me back my name
Something has been changed in my life
Something has been changed in my life
Something must be returned to us
Something must me returned to us
song performed by by Talking Heads

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Word Hate
'Tis a word that's heavily loaded and not a word to under-rate
And they should not be taken lightly those who do use the word hate
In their reference to others those they do claim to dislike
The word hate is like an adder with head raised ready to strike
Hatred can lead to bodily harm or murder or some other serious crime
And it can lead one to confinement to serve years of prison time
Hatred is a thing that's dangerous it can be taken too far
It can lead to acts of terrorism and lead Nations to war
If somebody say to you I hate you and give you looks that seem severe
That person is a person you may have reason to fear
Hatred it can lead one to a serious crime it can be a dangerous thing
And those who act on their hatred shame on themselves do bring
Yes the word hate is a loaded word for hatred can be taken too far
It can lead to terrorism and to murder and it can lead Nations to war.
poem by Francis Duggan

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The problems of language here are really serious. We wish to speak in some way about the structure of the atoms. But we cannot speak about atoms in ordinary language.
quote by Werner Heisenberg

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ordinary Girl
I see her there in her plain print dress and her fading youth
Something about her opens up my soul
Something about her speaks the truth
When the sky is falling
She makes the world go away baby and I tell the truth
Theres a plainness and a sameness to her touch
Oh yeah and its beautiful
I love an ordinary girl
Oh shes just an ordinary girl
I say I love you I know its just an ordinary sound
We make love in our ordinary house
Yeah its built on common ground and we know it baby
We go out walking on an friday night in ordinary town
Theres a sameness and a plainness to it all
Oh yeah and its beautiful
I love an ordinary girl
Yeah shes just an ordinary girl
Another day, another battle
We shake the cage, our sabers rattle
Nothing that matters comes easy
Nothing that comes easy ever really matters
Oh (everything I am) shes an ordinary girl (anything I plan)
I love her (for everything that I stand)
Shes an ordinary girl (Im just an ordinary man)
Yeah shes (in everything I do) just an ordinary girl
(in everything thats true) I love her (in everything I plan)
Just an ordinary girl (Im an ordinary man)...
song performed by by Rick Springfield

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A little word called crazy!
A little word called crazy
Which people use when they are being lazy.
The word crazy covers a multi of goods and ills
Mad, bad, sad, cool
or even acting the fool.
It’s used in our everyday language
But it’s often misunderstood
But it fits into sentences so well (and so good)
Sometimes you can’t seem to see the origins for this word
it sounds so absurd the way its used and abused
like crazy baby, crazy sin, a crazy outer and a crazy in!
Crazy actually means mad insane or foolish
so says the dictionary
but you can be crazy in love with someone
perhaps we are all crazy to be using this word
maybe it’s so absurd that you can use it in so many ways
in everyday life.
But the English language is good like that!
poem by Daniel Hooks

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The most important thing in the programming language is the name. A language will not succeed without a good name. I have recently invented a very good name and now I am looking for a suitable language.
quote by Donald Knuth

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Term
At the last minute a word is waiting
not heard that way before and not to be
repeated or ever be remembered
one that always had been a household word
used in speaking of the ordinary
everyday recurrences of living
not newly chosen or long considered
or a matter for comment afterward
who would ever have thought it was the one
saying itself from the beginning through
all its uses and circumstances to
utter at last that meaning of its own
for which it had long been the only word
though it seems now that any word would do
poem by William Stanley Merwin

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Green Behind The Ears
Just a simple suggestion
That you don't need to follow
We could make it out of here
We could be there tomorrow
'Cos there's always tomorrow
You're so silly, oh so silly
Especially just ordinary
We've got nothing to hurt now
We're green behind the ears
Just a pocket of people
With their ordinary faces
As the crow flies
They got further to fly
Without a word or a lie
[Chorus]
song performed by by Travis

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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