Submit For Review
can we discuss this please?
We are people of words, right?
We are writers, creators, artists. And yet somehow, quite often we forget to actually consider the words we use everyday. We are painters who forget to look at the colour on our palate. Colours that have a powerful effect on how we feel.
[How we feel powerfully influences our health, which powerfully influences our experience of life, our capacity to love, our capacity for joy……]
Has anyone else paused yet to consider the definitions or connotations of this button we have clicked hundreds of times over the past few years?
It only just struck me today.
Submit (verb.)
Oxford English Dictionary
- To place oneself in a position of submission or compliance
- To place oneself under a certain control or authority; to become subject or surrender oneself to another
- to refer for arbitration or consideration
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
- To yield oneself to governance or authority
- To present or propose to another for review, consideration, or decision
- to yield oneself to the authority or will of another : SURRENDER
- to permit oneself to be subjected to something (had to submit to surgery)
Synonyms
Quit. Yield. Give in. Succumb. Concede. Relent. Surrender. Relent. Bow.
Collins English Dictionary
- If you submit to something, you unwillingly allow something to be done to you, or you do what someone wants, for example because you are not powerful enough to resist.
In desperation, Mrs. Jones submitted to an operation on her right knee to relieve the pain.
If I submitted to their demands, they would not press the allegations.
- If you submit a proposal, report, or request to someone, you formally send it to them so that they can consider it or decide about it.
Synonyms
surrender, yield, give in, agree, endure, tolerate, defer, stoop, cave in, resign yourself, commit, tender, refer, present, hand in
Historical Meanings
Now obselete… but still deep in our memory. We are not born as blank canvasses. There is wisdom and memory in every cell of your body.
- To subject or expose oneself to danger, risk, uncertainty, etc
Julius Cesar..send to the king of Scottis and Pictis and bad tham submit fully to him. [Aslon Manuscript (1923)]
- To place oneself under the control of a person in authority, a government, etc.
- To yield, surrender, acquiesce; to be submissive.
- To surrender oneself to judgement, correction, treatment, a state of affairs, a condition, etc.; to consent to undergo or abide by a condition, etc.
- To place (a person or thing) under a certain control or authority; to make (a person or thing) subject or subordinate (to someone or something); to cause to yield.
Etymology
Partly French, Partly Latin
Submettre, Submitterre
Latin ≈ to bring to a lower level, to drop, lower, to lay down, to place under or beneath, (of the voice) to lower, to abate, to moderate, to reduce, diminish, to make subject or subordinate, (of circumstances) to crush, to subject, expose (to), (reflexive) to bow down, surrender, to lower oneself, condescend,
Oxford English Dictionary
Is it any wonder people describe feelings of anxiety before clicking that button?!
Do we not have enough to overcome regarding the fear of judgement and criticism without adding in a word that has such powerfully negative connotations and invokes more fear ?!
We really don’t pause enough to consider our words. Even as we begin to slowly awaken and understand just how powerful they are and how much they affect us - we continue overlook the words we use commonly or use everyday.
Can we change this?
Can’t we neutrally say “Send For Review” instead of “Submit?”
Or better still - can we come up with a far more positive word or phrase ? Something that puts a smile on your face and confidence into your spirit.
Any suggestions?
About the Creator
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Comments (14)
I literally never thought of it this way. Although, I've never been nervous to push submit. I let my reads and stuff speak for themselves, and I am trying to puzzle out why some things get more reads than others. I think my problem is I make my stories too long and people don't like read long chapters here. lol
Good point 💙
Hmmm, I never looked at it this way. How about just 'Publish'?
KF — I ‘Submit to you — JB
I have never thought of the word "submit" like that. I think like so many words, submit is one that has grown to have a negative and positive connotation. It goes to show how much the English language has changed over the years.
Review has connotations, too, although generally not so negative. I think many writers are more concerned with being judged than with submission 🤔
Interesting idea and certainly made me think about the connotations. How about just 'share for review'? 🤍
Never thought of it like this but you've provided a lot of evidence to promote a change!
Discussion time, ooh! I see your perspective and I commend your desire for more positive ways to engage with writing. I am all for boosting self-confidence, and I suspect we’ll be seeing more articles coming out about that in coming weeks. 😉 Do you think the issue would be helped by changing the word? I see it more as a matter of bridges and rivers. The river will be there no matter what kind of bridge you have. And people can dread crossing a certain kind of bridge, but what they really dread is crossing the river…You know? A different bridge won’t get rid of the fear. In other words, I would get anxiety over the new word too if we came up with one, lol.
Hmmmm, how about, 'Commit To Publish'?
THIS is so…exactly! Yes. All of the yes! Very good points, Kayleigh! And agree so wholeheartedly. I’ll be thinking on a better word. 🤔
Awesome!!! Maybe, "positively sent"!!! ❤️❤️💕
I have not obsessed like this over the language, but I see your point. I read a book on the etymology of words, and it can be shocking when you look at origins in language. But you cannot clean up history and expect people to learn from a blank slate. We have to confront it. And I think that what are doing is a good first step.
I never thought of it like that but those are some amazing points! I like the idea of changing it because now I will just think of the negatives of the word.