“Come closer, watch me disappear.” Can you guess who said these final words? As a hospice volunteer, one of the many gifts I have received from the dying are their final words. Hence my immediate attraction to the book “Words at the Threshold- What We Say As We’re Nearing Death” by Lisa Smartt. Though many books address end of life communication, this is the first I have seen by a linguist. What can a linguist’s skills add to this topic? You’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn how linguistics illuminates the language nuances in what may seem to be unintelligible speech.
Sitting with the dying can leave one wondering, “Who and what are they talking about? Are they seeing things invisible to me? Why can’t I understand them?” Smartt’s analysis of speech patterns, such as babbling, situational nonsense, non-referential language and more, helps to explain and expand our understanding of language. After documenting hundreds of “words at the threshold” cases, she asks if final words are expressing “Nonsense or new sense?” The book makes a convincing case that speech patterns of the dying can transcend time and space. It can also put to rest attempts to dismiss or correct their “unintelligible” communications. It is full of examples of the dying offering us their wisdom, love and forgiveness, clues to and visions of the afterlife, up to their last breath–and even beyond!
As for “…watch me disappear” …. aren’t those the perfect last words of a MAGICIAN?! To get the full story on that and other soul-nourishing final words, check out this book at your local Lake County library, or treat yourself to a purchase. It’s a treasure of a book! Also see her website: www.finalwordsproject.org, which includes an invitation for final words submissions.
Until the book ends,
Esther Suarez
Hospice Services of Lake County Volunteer