"Random" Language Thoughts from the Winter Olympics

I can't help it.  I really love everything about the Olympic Games.  My husband Wayne and I attended the 2012 Summer Games in London several summers ago, an unforgettable experience. We are watching this year's 2014 Winter Olympics from the comfort of our TV room, complete with a large tin of popcorn and our cat Bitsy purring in my lap.

The Games bring together many of the things in life I enjoy - an international perspective, enthusiastic young people, lots of drama, and a chance to observe language used in many different forms.  Yes, language, believe it or not.

Sage Kotsenburg in center

The first bit of language that brought a smile to my face was the news that Sage Kotsenburg (the snowboarder who later was awarded the first US gold medal in the games), tweeted the news that he had made it to the semi-finals and added, "How random is that?" That phrase expressed so well Sage's surprise and honesty regarding his own abilities.  It was a refreshing change from other athletes who appear to be much more driven and self-absorbed.

Ever since I heard my 20-something son use the word "random" in a new context, I have been noticing its more frequent use by young people recently.   "Random" still means "occurring by chance," but it seems that the word has expanded in meaning and has now entered the domain of slang.

In case you aren't a member of the hip generation, have a look at this web site for some great examples of the expanded uses of "random".

http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/random 

You may even want to start using some slang yourself!

Now let's have a serious discussion about slang. In the world of Linguistics, prescriptivists are those who gleefully take out their real or virtual red pens for correction and declare that a word like "random" used with an additional meaning is wrong, disgraceful, not to be allowed, and will cause the world to take a long plunge into the Nether Regions in a hand basket.  On the other hand, most linguists pride themselves on being descriptivists.  They are interested in studying language as it is currently used, not in making judgments about its correctness. Most linguists think slang is innovative, clever, entertaining, and worthy of attention. 

All languages change over time.  Words will take on new meanings and lose others.  Linguists call this phenomenon "semantic change"  (a nice neutral term) or "semantic shift" or "semantic drift."  I prefer the last term.  I like the idea of language not having to stay in prescribed areas but having the ability to conform to new situations.

Maybe "random" as a slang term has been overused.  Many slang terms are, and then they tend to disappear. I for one am enjoying "random" right now.  Somehow it just wouldn't have been the same for Sage Kotsenburg to have tweeted, "How capricious is that?"