Whats happening to the English language?

Question

Why are we using expressions like 24/7 ? It's even used on serious talk shows!
So American.

To Paul...very good on picking me up on it.

To Ik..."Talk" and "show" were though....

Answer 1

Exactly.
9/11 was actually 11/9 too.
Paul's a bit prickly today, isn't he?

Answer 2

I hate going along with this business about "the language is always evolving". Why should it? What's wrong with it? The only time new words should be added is when a new invention has been developed and therefore needs a word/s to describe it, otherwise, please leave well alone. Most of these "new terms" only save a few letters anyway. The example you give - 24/7 - why can't we just say "all the time"? Apart from being understood by everybody, it's one syllable less! The one thing that really does p me off is the americanisation (I won't even give them the capital letter!) of calender dates. I know I'm digging up the past here a bit (and I apologise if this brings back unhappy memories to anybody) but "Nine-eleven" . To me, that means 9th November, so if they mean '11th September' why doesn't everybody here say so and stop 'falling into line' with the yanks. Unfortunately the time will come (here, in GB) when young job applicants won't be able to fill out the necessary forms that any decent future employer would want before they even interview an applicant, so if nothing else, we'll never be short of people who are only capable of menial tasks requiring no real thought processes. So to all those who think it's very clever learning all those fancy text acronyms, think on, because they won't be of that much use to you in the big wide world of REAL business. You'll find you need to use the REAL English language. Oh, and you'll need to SPELL words properly too as well as making an attempt at grammar and the correct usage.

Answer 3

The English language, like every language, changes over time. The expression 24/7, for instance, is short for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And both 24 and 7 have been words of English for a long time, too, just like talk and show.

Answer 4

Because we are lazy and copy Americans. Look at how many people now write in txt! The English language is evolving we cannot stop it unless we make some drastic decisions like ban all American TV shows, but then what would channel 4 and 5 put on every night?

Answer 5

“As Churchill said; ‘English is a language very easy to speak badly.’

True... English is the most spoken language in our planet! But let me tell you the rtuth, English is a crazy language!

You see;
1. There isnt egg in eggplant!
2. No butter in buttermilk!!
3. Do you see any grape in a grapefruit???
4. Neither pine nor apple in a pineapple!!!!

Even better.....
1. English muffins werent invented in England
2. French fries werent invented in France
3. Danish pastries werent invented in Denmark
4. A guinea pig is neither a pig nor from Guinea

Can you see a lipstick as in a lip that sticks?
or a foot that prints to give footprints???

If tooth plural is teeth, what is the plural of booth? Shouldnt it bee beeth? and the same goes for.....
1 goose= 2 geese, then 1 moose = 2 meese?

I dont get how a slim chance and a fat chance be the same

Are English speakers verbally insane????

Answer 6

That's just the level of global communication we have now.
I saw a film last night set in the near future, and the language was mostly English but with a number of Spanish and Chinese words and phrases thrown in.

I know what you mean, but I think this is the way we are going now, especially with more and more people living in different countries to where they were born. In English anyway we already use a number of foreign words or phrases just to describe something because it sums it up better than English anyway.

Answer 7

BOOOOOOOO! the bast*rds don't speak proper :-)


don't forget though luv our native people the original settlers to our country where driven to the welsh hills by the Romans, so we then spoke Latin the we where attacked by a shed load of countries after the e.g. the Vikings, the Normans,
the French, Scandinavians to name but a few not to mention years of immigration and emigration it is however never staying the same so i guess it is its natural course. not a good one however

so the English language is already rather eclectic luv.

Na the Queens English is the way forward but we are the MTV generation don't forget so u know they will tarnish our language but it will prevail through there mediocre B/S

Answer 8

Languages evolve...just like humans. ("Talk Show" wasn't in the dictionary 50 years ago.) Most linguists consider the spoken language to be the "true" language.

Even the average Brit probably couldn't understand the English as spoken by say, Chaucer.

If you're so concerned about keeping the language in a virgin state, you might want to work on your contractions, using "like" for "as", and fragmented sentences..."So American."

It doesn't bother me, but apparently, it does you.

Answer 9

Language develops in tandem with culture and the society that uses it. This is not good or bad it's just the behaviour of all languages.

It's one of the only things in the world that's in the hands of the people. Americans speak English so in reality, they have the right to change it as they please, as do you or I.

yes

Answer 10

Progress happened. Once upon a time, a mouse was a rodent, a monitor was a teacher's pet, a yahoo was a boorish, crass, or stupid person, and "Internet" wasn't even a word. English has become the language of progress, and as such, it has to evolve with the times.

Answer 11

At the end of the day, English isn't English anyway. It's a mixture of a multitude of other languages (Germanic, Latin, Norse, Celtic)....so it's constantly changing.

Still agree with the American thing though....they're buggering it up completely, not improving it!!