can u think examples of how our language is alive and .....?

Question

Can you think of examples of how our language is alive and constantly evolving? For example, do you use certain words or gestures that only your family or closest circle of friends would understand? what are they?

Answer 1

When people speak of language being alive and constrantly evolving, they are talking about how technology and other advancements are constantly adding new words to our vocabularys.

For instance in 1980:
"Web" meant a mesh like structure usually made by a spider not the internet
Blog had no meaning
No one would have known what you were talking about if you said the President got "Lewinskied"
Plasma only meant blood

I'm tired or I could probably think of many more examples, but I think you get my drift.

As our world changes, so do the words used to describe it.

Answer 2

Well, actually I don't know why I'm posting this message here, because I don't speak English, I live in Brazil and I speak Brazilian Portuguese... so I can only mention things I say in Portuguese... one of the funiests is "bililiu", it is kind of a bug that at rainy days flies around the lights of the streets and of your house if you keep the windows opened 'till the sunset... Here, "bililiu" is a word commonly used to mean that thing every men have... the di*ck.... but refering to a child... the small one of a child... in my falily, they use that word to mean that kind of bug.

Someday, when I was a little younger, at clasroom, I, in loud voice, said: look at the "BILILIUS" around the light"... everybody, including the teacher laughed a lot, some even cried!!! But I didn't know of that meaning for them! It was a shame!

Answer 3

There are so many examples! New words are created all the time when people need them. The American Dialect Society has a vote every year on the best new words. To see words from past votes, see this website:

http://www.americandialect.org/index.php/amerdial/categories/C178/

Answer 4

words may have many meanings depending on location and context. what one word means in the deep south may make no sense to someone in oregon and vice versa. additionall, new words are coming into use everyday in order to descibe, name, or define some new idea which had not existed ten years ago. a good example is the word internet. thirty years ago it did not exist, so neither did the word. now it is a common word with a specific meaning or conotation.

Answer 5

While it is not a question of my possess loved ones, do not forget Americans vs Brits. Originally, within the days of American colonialism, our 2 languages had been very equal. However, now we now have discourse akin to how in Britain a "fag" refers to a cigarette, even as within the United States it derisively refers to a gay.

Answer 6

Languages are signs of the God as Quran says. The God shows how so many different people can speak. One word which means ntohing to us could be of enormous value to other. Languages constantly change. The evolve and die too. The languages of the Past Prophets genrally all died and hence we do not find original Torah (Book of Moses), original Injeel (The book of Jesus), the Zaboor (Book of David). The words also enter from language to other. For example several Arabic words entered in English e.g. Cut (Form Arabic Qat) Cover (fromArabic Kafar), Sugar from arabic Sakar, ALcohol form arabic alkehel, earth from Arabic ard etc. etc.
The only exception to the change with time is Quranic Arabic which is fresh frozoen for alst 1450 years. This is becasue the last and the final divine book of the God arrived in Arbic Language and the God (In Arbaic Allah, al = the, all, Ilaha = God, together the God = Allah) and Allah promised to protect it so no one can cahnge it. As translations can never be equal to the original, Quran is protectred in its original language It is the final edition of all previsou divine books as it remove all the man made fabrications and restore the original. As Muhammad (meaning praise worthy as fortold in Torah and Injeel, is the last messenger of Islam, the book given to him was protected forever as a miracel so that everyone on earth can witness the ultimate miracle whci is based on language charaterstic. Quran today is as fresh as on day 1. There are no 2 versions of Quran. Letter by letter word by word it is the same and in the month of Ramdan whcihjust passed, same Quran was recited by heart from A to Z in all millions of mosque across the world.

Answer 7

Just watch Rachael Rae or a lot of americans....she has no idea of how to use adverbs correctly....she will say things like 'I'll make this real quick" 'i feel real good about this'.....this seems to be an evolving phenomenon in american english.