I know there are people out there whose teeth are set on edge by the many new words and expressions coming into the English language. The latest version of the Oxford Dictionary of English has over 2000 new entries, including vuvuzela (oh how we hated that during the World Cup!) and geo-engineering.
Adding new words and expressions and changing the pronunciation of existing ones is as old as the hills. Look at Shakespeare and you can see that, for example 'wind' - the noun for that feature of the weather - used to be pronounced to rhyme with 'find'. It is the mark of a vibrant and living language.
Some changes are transient- slang like 'groovy' and 'trendy (although 'cool' is now cool again) - others are with us as long as the phenomenon is relevant, such as those words connected with climate change.
I really like this aspect of English. It's fascinating to see the latest additions. So, at the risk of giving my more traditional husband apoplexy - bring it on , I'm loving it!
Hi, Fiona: I have to agree. English is so rich and diverse simply because we did let new words evolve.
Posted by: Michelle Page | 26/08/2010 at 09:45 PM