I am very sure you
must have come across one of the characteristics of language which states that
"language is situational". This simply means that a speaker's choice
of words or sentences is determined by a given situation or the situation he
finds himself. In other words, a language user chooses his words or sentences
based on a given situation.
English is one language
that is situational. With its richness in vocabulary and synonym, it presents
before its speakers varieties of appropriate words to be used in any given
context. For example, the word 'kill' has other words like 'massacre',
'murder', 'slaughter' and 'assassinate' as synonyms, and each can be used in
different contexts to mean 'kill'. However, English users have oftentimes failed to validate the authenticity of this vital feature of the language
by using 'kill' in all context. This is really inappropriate.
HOW TO APPROPRIATELY USE
'KILL' IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS
Unarguably, to kill means
to make a person or an animal die, or to put an end to a life. However, when
someone is deliberately and unlawfully killed, the word 'murder' becomes
appropriate. For example, “She was murdered in cold blood”.
When a group of people is
violently killed, the word 'massacre' should be used. For example, “The
federal government massacred over 200 Bayelsans at Odi”.
When an animal is killed
for its meat, skin or as part of religious ceremony, it becomes 'slaughter'.
For example, “The animals have been slaughtered”.
'Slaughter' can also be
used when a large number of people are killed in a cruel way.
In a situation where a
prominent or well-known person is killed by a sudden or obscure attack,
especially for ideological or political reasons, the word 'assassinate' is
considered to be more appropriate. For example, “Lucky Dube was assassinated”.
From the foregoing, you
can see that although 'kill' is the general term, it cannot be appropriate in
certain context. The way in which the killing is done determines the
appropriate word to use. Using the appropriate word in a given context prevents
your listener from asking you the question, “how were they killed?”