Evolution of the English language in my lifetime

aarontunes

aarontunes

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I am a "word guy" to the bone. Words and languages fascinate me. Recently I've been reading a book called Undaunted Courage, about the journey of Lewis & Clark. There are lots of excerpts from their journals. It was a time when spelling was not exactly a "settled science". Also, all the important words within a sentence were given prominence by capitalizing their first letters....probably a practice then developed because most things were handwritten, thus no italicization.

I've also had to deal with a few "misunderstandings" on the internet lately, mostly due to a disconnect in what a person meant versus what they typed. Not everyone picks up the new meanings of things at the same rate, I guess...and conflicts ensue if we're not careful.

Anyway, all this has got me to thinking about the ways in which the English language has evolved, just in my lifetime. Two that immediately come to mind are:

1. The exclamation point. I was taught as a kid that it indicated shouting. Not any more. Now it denotes zeal/enthusiasm.
2. All caps. This is how we denote anger/shouting now....GET IT?


I wold love to see other examples. What you got?
 
Just thought of another one:


Using a group of letters that symbolize a complete idea or sentiment as a substitute for words. Sort of an American version of Kanji, IMO. WDYT?
 
I am very keen on linguistics myself.

An exclamation mark could express surprise, astonishment etc. Not really heard it being used to describe shouting.

Here is my phrase of the day.

In characteristic grandiloquence, the President explained in his own inimitable sesquipedalian loquaciousness that people ought to really express themselves succinctly whilst getting their point across in a manner avoiding double-talk, ambiguity and aim for transparency in speech.

Honestly, I think a lot of problems on the internet stem from people not understanding what has been written, or conversely, the writer using made up definitions or indulging in ambiguity and expecting others to understand something different than the words used actually mean.



 
I was always a good student in English class, enjoyed diagramming sentences, etc. Was also a top student in English Comp class. No surprise - my first job was in my Mom's print shop.... as the proofreader. So I come by my Grammar & Spelling Nazi tendencies naturally.... And I've been published over 100 times in car mags and guitar repair mags. Makes me obnoxious... But I'll tell you the truth.

That said, I hate the way people text - like IDK for I don't know, stuff like that. I like precise, exact language... because the whole idea is to communicate perfectly between ourselves, and if we don't stick to the rules, that doesn't happen. I like it when stuff makes sense. Don't you?
 
I think a lot of it is people don't bother to read anymore; or are too lazy to think about what the words mean when they write.  I've also noticed a coarsening of the verbal language over the years, too.  It's a dismal tide. :bananaguitar:
 
I heard someone the other day in the street say to the person next to them.

"I was literally sort of like saying, you know what I mean?"

 
What really drives me botz, (Bronx English for "crazy"), is the misuse of simple words in written communications: Their, There, and They're; Two, To, and Too. I mean, I can almost understand misusing discreet and discrete, but a native speaker not knowing the difference between your and you're, here and hear, by and buy.......

And don't even get me started on the misuse of singular collective nouns! Using plural verbs with singular nouns??? To me it's like nails on a chalk board! Although, it is my experience that in British English, singular collective nouns are commonly paired with plural verbs: "The team are...." for example. Guess it's just memories of my first grade teacher echoing through.

As for my own written communication, my level of grandiloquence, (my hat's off to Stratamania, thought I was the only one to actually use that word in a sentence), is directly related to it's intended audience. My written reports at work, which will from time to time end up in open court, are structured differently from what I will type here. The former must be exacting and concise, while the later allows me the freedom to explore, learn, and maybe have a little fun. (Indeed, in some professional communications, and depending upon the circumstances, even the use of common abbreviations becomes unacceptable.)

I don't expect precision from non-native speakers. English can be a very confusing language, where homonyms run rampant, and even hard and fast rules all have exceptions. And God knows, that after 5 years of study, I can still only barely get along in Spanish. But adult, native speakers, who have used English as their primary means of communication for their entire life, should at least make an effort. 

Just IMHO....... :icon_jokercolor:
 
I very much appreciate careful writing and I have a high regard for those with the skills to produce it.  So much so that I might get serious about it myself sometime.  :)
 
Well said, Steve. :icon_thumright:

Also, 'then' and 'than' get used interchangably.

I would especially think professionals would be better with the English language than they are.
 
Rgand said:
Also, 'then' and 'than' get used interchangably.
Click to expand...
Yes! Yes! Yes! Someone who understands!!

And, depending upon the profession, I agree, professionals should be held to a higher standard, linguistically speaking. Some of the reports that get handed to me make me want to hurl! (NY translation: Vomit.) On the other hand, as my son the engineer points out, technical writing has little to do with useful discourse. it merely fulfills a contractual requirement.
 
I can think of any number of supposed journalists who cannot spell or use correct grammar, and their editors or managers shoulder much of the blame for not calling them on it. You should see me erupt when the captions on news programs are misspelled or otherwise botched. There is NO excuse for it.
 
One that never ceases to amaze me is the random positioning of an apostrophe either before or after an ending 's' whether one is required or not.
 
ByteFrenzy said:
One that never ceases to amaze me is the random positioning of an apostrophe either before or after an ending 's' whether one is required or not.
Click to expand...

Girls - many girls
Girl's - owned by a girl
Girls' - owned by many girls.

Along with 'their, there, and they're' another thing I'll change when I am in charge will be having a different letter for plural and possessive.

Oh, there will be changes alright...
 
I think you folks might enjoy this:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U39sZgwSr_s[/youtube]
 
Mayfly said:
I very much appreciate careful writing and I have a high regard for those with the skills to produce it.  So much so that I might get serious about it myself sometime.  :)
Click to expand...
a91c3457188765cb18dbc045bf97f9.jpg

:laughing11:
 
    Using they as a singular seems to have gained acceptance, as in, "Someone forgot their guitar".  The use of derogatory female-specific words like "b****h" and "ho" seems to be way more prevalent and accepted than they used to be.  I graduated with a major in English, but I've never been uptight about grammar or spelling.  The only thing I don't like is when someone doesn't know the definition of a word.  The ship has long ago sailed on "ironic" and "literally".  However, I'm still trying to save "ambivalent".
 
If it's any consolation, I see the same thing happening in other languages. In my native Dutch, for example, one of the things that really irritate me is the use of the wrong gender for a noun, which is not just becoming commonplace but actually seems to be fashionable. Another thing which I see more and more is that people no longer make any effort to express their thoughts with any precision, with language becoming shallower and shallower. 'Close enough is good enough'. 
 
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