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English is changing ...iNNiT?
Millions of people around the world are learning English but how many of them realise that the English they are learning is constantly changing? New words are entering the language, existing words are developing new meanings and other words are falling out of use. Even the grammar of English is changing slowly. So what drives these changes and should we try to stop them?
New technology needs new words
Not surprisingly, technology is responsible for a lot of new words. Twenty years ago, no one knew what a ‘blog’ was but when people began writing Web logs online, the phrase was quickly shortened to ‘blog’ and the writer was called a ‘blogger’. And nowadays, internet users are constantly warned about the dangers of ‘phishing’, where criminals try to get your credit card and bank details by sending fraudulent emails. The word is a variation on ‘fishing’. Criminals use emails to catch victims just like fishermen use worms.
New ways of communicating create new language
The arrival of texting on mobile phones created a quick and easy way to stay in touch with friends. It also created the need for a very short form of English - a text message is only 160 characters long. Instead of writing ‘see you later’, teenagers started to write ‘c u l8r’ and when they found something funny, they wrote ‘lol’ instead of ‘laugh out loud’. At the moment it is still wrong to use this language in essays, job applications and so on. But how long will it be before text speak is standard English? It will all change soon, I think, lol!
The influence of teenagers
Teenagers use their own slang because it indicates that they belong to a group, that they are different from other people. Modern teens use ‘sick’ to mean ‘great’ and ‘Wassup?’ (What's up?) to mean ‘Hello’ but ask a typical middle-aged person what these phrases mean and they would probably have no idea. Some people are taking a stand against teen text speak and slang. A school in Manchester recently banned slang in the classroom and exam grades increased dramatically!
Human beings are lazy
We all prefer things to be simple rather than complicated. A common phrase like ‘I don't know’ is often shortened to ‘dunno’. In a similar way some young people now use ‘innit?’ (short for ‘isn't it?’) to replace all question tags, for example ‘He’s gone home, innit?’ It’s quicker and easier than using the right question tag. Most adults see this as bad English and some complain loudly. But language has always evolved and although we all need to know the right language for each situation, surely it’s better to enjoy the way English changes rather than complain about it?
Global culture is changing English
Globalisation has been an effective way of spreading English around the world. But now many people believe that non-native speakers of English are creating their own form of the language, which has been named Globish. With its limited vocabulary and simple sentences, this form of English enables a Spanish businessman to communicate easily with a Chinese student, for example. Some people believe Globish will be the most commonly spoken language in the world one day. Perhaps it already is! So if we could travel into the future, would we find people all over the world speaking a common language? Probably not but at least communication might be simpler one day … innit?
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