ON LANGUAGE

Sept, 12, 2012

ON LANGUAGE  

Ever since, as a boy of 12, I saw a melancholy skit on the Lawrence Welk Show (I realize I am DATING myself!) lamenting the word "SQUARE" changing its meaning - I have been noting that our language is changing. I had several discussions about this with my mother - who told me how it was in the 1930's and 1940's - and then recalling many long talks with my grandfather about how things were in the 1920's. 

The English language is, happily, evolving, changing, and in fact is the fastest-growing language on the planet - way out front of its closest competitor. This tells me several things. Our language, the mother tongue of our English ancestors which we have made our own, is a vibrant LIVING, relevant, progressing means of expression that we millions who call one form our mother tongue are blessed to have as the core of our many diverse cultures. 

It is interesting to know that we share our whole language with the world - not just a quirky word or two. When we share our language, we often get back something from each and every ethnicity and civilization we touch. 

Is this a good thing?? I believe it is - I believe it to be a great thing - and is, in fact, the life's blood of this new world language we still call English. We have nothing to fear from this linguistic evolution - far from it, for more than just about anything else, this sharing gives us something in common with human beings in far-flung regions whom we had no idea existed. By speaking a single word, say taboo, tomato, barbecue, mayonnaise, suede, boomerang, magazine or honcho, we link ourselves to the rest of the world - which we are a part of, and which is a part of us. 

One of these days we as the human race will eventually come to the realization that the less we isolate ourselves from the outside world, the more we will grow ourselves, and by so doing, perhaps we will also come to the realization that hating our fellow human beings is a waste of precious time. Getting to KNOW other cultures is the best way to get to know ourselves. 

It has been said that "nothing is constant BUT change." Our language will continue to change because WE change - whether or not we like it. It is simply the natural way of things.