Do new words or experiences catch your attention? They do mine. And then I have choices to make. I can (a) go on a rampage about how English is going to the dogs (b) slip the new expressions into my conversations so I can sound cool or (c) analyze the use of new terms to learn more about why people are choosing them. I'm going with (c)!
Let's take the word 'well'. 'Well' can be an adverb, as in "My computer has been running well lately," or an adjective, as in "I'm feeling well since I started exercising," But lately, 'well' has been cropping up with what appears to be a new use. Maybe someone asks you, "How was dinner at the bistro last night?" You reply, "It was, well, interesting." Try saying that last sentence without the 'well.' Different, huh? The insertion of 'well' adds meaning to the sentence. The speaker has now given the impression that there is a whole lot more to the tale of the bistro dinner.
Now that you are warming up to the idea of new ways of expression, let's work on 'like.' Talk about ubiquitous! It would be hard to go through a whole day without hearing 'like' in one of its reincarnations. One of the most common uses is to introduce a direct quotation. And then the store clerk was like, "So don't shop here if you don't like the service." Does the substitution of 'was' and 'like' in place of 'said' add meaning to the sentence? I think it does. The more traditional 'said' would not alert the listener that something a little surprising, off-beat, or unexpected was about to be reported. And then the store clerk was like, "Here is your package, ma'am," would not be as common, I think. 'Like' and its rapid spread through verbal communication is a topic that requires much discussion. Here is a link if you would like (old common usage!) to learn more.Like, Degrading the Language? No Way.
And then there is 'actually.' I hear this word often on the local nightly news on TV. "I'm standing about 500 yards from the train station, and I can actually see the derailment." I think the adverb 'actually' adds the idea of "Can you believe that I am this far from the train station, but I can still see the derailment?" That's a lot of meaning to pack into one little word.
Another new expression that has caught my ear is the use of 'go ahead and' before another action verb. A TV cooking show host may say, "And then go ahead and put the dish in the fridge for several hours." Now this expression has me a bit puzzled. I don't see how 'go ahead and' adds meaning or nuance to the sentence. Try "And then put the dish in the fridge..." What's more, the expression adds length to the sentence, which would seem the opposite of what we want to do in this fast and furious world we live in. I'll have to keep an ear out for more examples.
Language. Always on the move. Have you heard any new words or expressions recently? What is your opinion of them?
No comments:
Post a Comment