Recently, I got to carry on an extended conversation with a man who was keenly interested in the idea that the way someone says something, that is, the choice of words and phrasing a person uses to word an utterance, can have significance. He dabbles in language, but it is limited to phonetics because he works on reducing foreigner's accents. He had not been exposed to the study of semantics, pragmatics, grammar theory, or forensic linguistics. I love having those conversations.
How people word their sentences does reveal volumes about them. Syntax, word choices, and phrasing all work together to expose one's personality, perspective, orientation, and emotional attachment or detachment. It also reveals their maturity with articulation. Piaget pointed out that adults can develop in their cognition to a concrete stage and then plateau. I think the same is true with language. Adults can reach a plateau in their ability to manipulate it. But, even that is telling. The point at which articulation is arrested says something about the person's personality and perspective.
I listen to people talk. It has helped me understand what they are really about. That has saved me a lot of time and breath.
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