English language - where is it going to? AIBU

I love the word " spiffing ". If I happen to see the old neighbour and ask how he is, he answers using that word and it really makes me laugh. It conjures up days of Champagne Charlie's and typical " old boys ". He is a good old-fashioned well-bred gentleman though who enjoys the odd snifter as he puts it.

Spiffing is an excellent word . As is 'splendid'. I am going to use them more often.

On the whole, I'm not too concerned about evolution, but there are words that irritate me, and errors that absolutely shriek.

I loathe the word 'Uni', particularly when used by older people. I don't like hearing 'work colleague' or 'meet with', and the confusion of 'less/fewer' and 'infer/imply' distracts me from what people are saying, which I know is wrong of me, but I can't help it.

I think older people had grammar, punctuation and spelling so impressed upon them its very hard to shake off. Language has evolved and we have borrowed words and expressions from other countries which have in the main have enriched our own language.
Conversely the large shopping centre on the outskirts of Limoges is called Family Village - pourquoi ?

Language has always changed over time. Our vocabulary and phrases now are very different to our youth, eeven more different ot our parents youth and so on. That is why we no longer speak Anglo-Saxon.

Yes, it is sometimes it is difficult to adjust to new words for some word we always thought were clear.

I must say that the older I get the more open to change in almost everything I become. I was in my teens and 20s in the 1960s - and think about all the changes to language that we made. For example my DGM would talk about something brightly coloured and varied, like flowers as being very 'gay' and often described curious things as being very 'queer'. Words totally devoid of any references to homosexuality at the time.

I hate ‘fell pregnant’ and ‘brings to tears’.

I’ve been known to swear but the difference may be that I “ choose my audience”

And that makes all the difference Lucca; and having the intelligence to know the difference.

I hate to hear every third word in a sentence being "like" and I have noticed some young children are picking this up- possibly from their parents.

"Most of the swear words I know are good examples of very old English wink" I blame these rude Anglo Saxons.

I agree Charleygirl there was an interesting interview on the radio with University students talking about their experiences on campus under lockdown, but I had to turn it off because of the excessive use of the word "like" by nearly all of them!

Gotten is creeping in, I hate it.

I only swear if I've lost my temper and then I really let rip, but only with DH. Annoyingly, he doesn't swear during an argument, but he does for other things, especially when he has road rage.

I don't like American English (and spellings) creeping in to common use and often cringe - but that's just me being stuck in my ways.

Of course, language evolves over time and always has. I'm quite a fan of swearing, though, as used appropriately it's a fine way to express ourselves. Sometimes, nothing else will do!

I’m a great fan of the correct word being used as opposed to the Humpty Dumpty school of word usage.

Missfoodlove

Gotten is creeping in, I hate it.

Gotten is old English.

What I dislike, and they are mainly American newspeak:

Talk us through - instead of explain
Pushback - instead of response or reaction
Takeaways(!) - instead of things deduced
Going forward - instead of in the future

I can live with most other witterings!

I like ‘gotten’.
?

I can't understand why people on radio or T.V. who describe a sport event are said to 'commentate'. Surely the verb is to comment?

My pet hate is ‘normalcy’ instead of ‘normality’
Little to worry about, I know?

I think objecting to the word ‘gotten’ shows up a bit of prejudice It’s an old English word in use when the English colonised America which we have now stopped using - shame really.

I think 'to commentate' means something very different to 'to comment'

Very interesting thoughts and comments on here. Thanks everyone!

I went through a pedantic phase, but have got over it ?

The changes are actually quite fascinating, a reflection of history as it is happening!

It's not surprising that our language is changing rapidly - via the Internet, we now have close contact with English speakers from across the globe, so of course some mixing of the different forms of English spoken in these different parts of the world is happening. That's why more Americanisms are being used. They don't bother me - I just add them to my vocabulary for future use if and when appropriate, just as I do with any new words or phrases.

There has also been a big shift in the ethnic mix of our population, so again, linguistic change, of grammar, vocabulary and usage, is bound to happen, just as it has throughout history in times of rapid change.
Language and languages interest me, so sometimes I can see how a new word or expression has come into English from another language, either through a mistranslation, or just to fill a gap in English.

English is great (all languages are great), and I'm happy to see it continuing to grow, as it should. smile

Has anyone noticed the increased use of the term ‘uptick” to mean increase?

Yes vegansrock
Is it a covid thing?
It seems to have evolved alongside the virus.
I associate it with the graphs.
I think it's one that will disappear as quickly as it appeared.
And yes, commentate is different to comment!

The only one that really annoys me, and I cannot understand, is 'off of', meaning 'from' as in
'I got this spiffing new hat off of my splendid aunt'.

I've always used 'off'meaning from colloquially as I'm a bit common like that (), but 'off of' drives me crackers.

JenniferEccles

I have noticed the habit lately of people saying “I am sat here” instead of sitting.

To me I am sat seems to indicate someone picked them up and plonked them down on the seat !

Maybe it is correct but it just sounds wrong to me.

i used to think like you, but that was my lack of travel, as i grew up in southern england.
i was sat is normal and correct usage in derbyshire and other places oop north. it is an older form.
i think it has gained currency through youngsters moving about the country for university and picking up modes of local speech.
also now that tv/ radio actively encourage regional accents, we hear more of these variants.
there is always more to learn.