Wednesday's Word -- Monotony

I took a break for the long holiday weekend.  You can see what I was up to over here.

Now it's back to the grind.  While the origin of that phrase is uncertain, perhaps it refers to going back to work at a mill, grinding grain?  In any event, "back to the grind" is no fun, whatever it is.  Here's a word I'm thinking about today:

Monotony

I'm sure you know what the word means.  I'm sure you know how to use it in a sentence.  It means "wearisome routine; dullness."  "Tedious sameness or repetitiousness."  It means Groundhog Day (ala Bill Murray).  Do you ever feel like your life is a Groundhog Day?  I must say I do.

Monotony

And I don't really mean to complain, because my repetition cycle is full of good things.  But here's what I really like about the word monotony, it also means "uniformity or lack of variation in pitch, intonation or inflection."  A monotone is "a sound that has a single unvaried tone."  Broken down, the word monotone is monos, meaning single or alone.  And tonos, meaning tone.  One single, solitary tone.

If you speak to a group in a monotone, no one will listen to you.  You will put the audience to sleep.  I worked as the adult leader for a group of children at my church for a few years, and each year we put on an end-of-the-year program for the parents with singing and speaking parts.  Every year, I devoted much effort to encouraging the children to speak with life in their voices.  To use inflection.  I would demonstrate by reciting one line in dead monotone, and then recite the same line with energy.  Even the youngest children (3 and 4) got it immediately.  

Living life in monotone has the same effect, doesn't it?  We put ourselves and those around us to sleep.  So if you're a one-note Nancy or single-sound Sam, you might think about adding some inflection to your life.  A note up there and a note down here, and you've got music.