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AIBU

English language - where is it going to? AIBU

(219 Posts)
TwinLolly Sat 21-Nov-20 10:33:46

Maybe I'm being unreasonable and very menopausal but there are words that are getting under my skin.

* "Co-worker" seems to be a new word for colleague.

* "Super" this and "super" that instead of "very" or "huge", etc.

* "Denied", e.g. as in "he/she was denied entry" - instead of "refused entry", or other cases where the world "refused" would make more sense than the word "denied".

* Where has the word "donated" gone to. It's now "gifted".

* I get confused when reading a newspaper or magazine article where people are now referred to by their surnames only without the Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms. I lose the plot as to who is who confused. I'd prefer to referred to as Mrs Surname or my first name.

There are other words too, but I can't think of them now.

Rant over. Sorry! blush

MissElly Sat 21-Nov-20 18:18:51

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

HillyN Sat 21-Nov-20 18:11:17

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?

Urmstongran Sat 21-Nov-20 18:11:14

I like ‘gotten’.
?

Riverwalk Sat 21-Nov-20 18:10:33

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!

Riverwalk Sat 21-Nov-20 18:03:09

Missfoodlove

Gotten is creeping in, I hate it.

Gotten is old English.

suziewoozie Sat 21-Nov-20 17:58:11

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

Hetty58 Sat 21-Nov-20 17:39:49

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!

grannyrebel7 Sat 21-Nov-20 17:31:34

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.

Missfoodlove Sat 21-Nov-20 15:50:41

Gotten is creeping in, I hate it.

phoenix Sat 21-Nov-20 15:47:36

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!

Alexa Sat 21-Nov-20 15:18:12

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

Charleygirl5 Sat 21-Nov-20 14:44:19

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.

Chewbacca Sat 21-Nov-20 14:34:22

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.

Blossoming Sat 21-Nov-20 13:23:55

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

M0nica Sat 21-Nov-20 13:08:50

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.

sodapop Sat 21-Nov-20 12:56:11

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 ?

Doodledog Sat 21-Nov-20 12:38:16

Spiffing is an excellent word grin. 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.

EllanVannin Sat 21-Nov-20 12:26:45

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.

Lucca Sat 21-Nov-20 12:25:23

I am withGalaxy - the thing about it showing low intelligence is a bit of an old chestnut.
I’ve been known to swear but the difference may be that I “ choose my audience” .
I get irritated with “going forward” but I realise that language must evolve.
In teaching I really found new management speak annoying blue sky thinking etc etc.
My son works in marketing and used to make up new phrases and slip them into meetings ....nobody ever questioned him!

merlotgran Sat 21-Nov-20 12:24:42

Last year my DGS said he'd 'tasked his brother with putting the bins out' after I'd asked him to do it.

grin grin His brother obviously didn't 'get where he was coming from' because I ended up putting the damn things out.

Grandmabatty Sat 21-Nov-20 12:17:06

I find it fascinating how the English language has evolved over centuries and I enjoy reading the etymology of words. To me, a language which adds new words and changes the use of others, is a living language. We may not like certain words and how they're used, but enough people do use them to warrant their inclusion in every day speech or writing.

Delila Sat 21-Nov-20 12:15:16

I enjoy the rapidly changing use of language, often more expressive than the original, but “myself” is my pet hate too, Chewbacca.

Parsley3 Sat 21-Nov-20 12:04:28

I don't mind the way that the English language has evolved during my lifetime because it is quite fascinating. I am not sure that the good English words that could replace some swear words would be welcomed in polite conversation though.

JenniferEccles Sat 21-Nov-20 12:00:37

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.

luluaugust Sat 21-Nov-20 11:57:26

Surely a lot of the swear words are Anglo Saxon!