Here in California, we use the terms "hecka" and "hella," and apparently in the Northeast, it is not uncommon to hear someone say that a situation is "wicked." In Washington, D.C., you might hear of a "slug," a driver in need of a passenger to drive in the carpool lane.* These are examples of regional colloquialisms, words common to a specific region of a nation. While some of these are still in use today (I hear "putz around," for example, indicating the act of doing nothing in particular), we no longer use many others.
Just as words fall out of use, however, new colloquialisms are formed. The Internet, I am certain, increases not only the speed at which new uses of words spread, but also the expansion of these words' use from a specific region to the entire nation, something an NPR author calls homogenization.* Two recent examples come from the political and entertainment spheres.
In the former case, Jeb Bush and journalists, at least, have begun to use--and so attach new, now emotionally loaded, meaning to--the term "hypotheticals," a word now used to describe unwanted questions that offer no benefit to the real world and used to catch politicians in taking unfavorable political positions. Amid questions about whether he would have invaded Iraq as his brother chose to do, Bush stated, "Going back in time and talking about hypotheticals--what would have happened, what could have happened--I think, does a disservice for [U.S. soldiers who invaded Iraq]. What we ought to be focusing on is what are the lessons learned."**
In the same way, one movie reviewer used the term "bloated" to describe the new Avengers: Age of Ultron film, implying the movie was too full of meaningful dialogue and action to follow comfortably.
If nothing else, such use of old words in new ways contributes to the shifting nature of language. As an example, consider that the term "selfie" only recently came into use. Interestingly, words--like clothing, hobbies, and other aspects of culture--can also be used to unite or divide a group. This is just as true in the professional world as it is in informal communication. A professional who knows the jargon of his or her business may be more accepted--if subconsciously--than one who does not; while someone who uses the language common to his or her peers in an informal setting may acquire the same acceptance. It is a mark of social intelligence to understand and use these words in their proper contexts, or else a sign that one is foreign to the culture he or she has entered.
This is not intended as an indictment of those who exclude others, but an expansion of something I remember learning about for the first time in a college teacher education class. In that setting, we learned that part of our job as teachers is to teach students the language of the professional, formal world to allow them access to success in life (or, perhaps that is how I understood the teacher's meaning when he taught us this notion of formal and informal language), while also honoring their own use of language. Perhaps this political use of language as a means for inclusion and exclusion is why Quebec has in the past been fervent in maintaining French as part of Canada's recognized languages. Language can be an expression of power.
*Weeks, Linton. "Do We Talk Funny? 51 American Colloqualisms." NPR. 12 May 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.
**Falcone, Michael. "Jeb Bush Suggests Asking 'Hypothetical' Questions About Iraq 'Does a Disservice' to Dead American Soldiers." ABC News. 13 May 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.
Just as words fall out of use, however, new colloquialisms are formed. The Internet, I am certain, increases not only the speed at which new uses of words spread, but also the expansion of these words' use from a specific region to the entire nation, something an NPR author calls homogenization.* Two recent examples come from the political and entertainment spheres.
In the former case, Jeb Bush and journalists, at least, have begun to use--and so attach new, now emotionally loaded, meaning to--the term "hypotheticals," a word now used to describe unwanted questions that offer no benefit to the real world and used to catch politicians in taking unfavorable political positions. Amid questions about whether he would have invaded Iraq as his brother chose to do, Bush stated, "Going back in time and talking about hypotheticals--what would have happened, what could have happened--I think, does a disservice for [U.S. soldiers who invaded Iraq]. What we ought to be focusing on is what are the lessons learned."**
In the same way, one movie reviewer used the term "bloated" to describe the new Avengers: Age of Ultron film, implying the movie was too full of meaningful dialogue and action to follow comfortably.
If nothing else, such use of old words in new ways contributes to the shifting nature of language. As an example, consider that the term "selfie" only recently came into use. Interestingly, words--like clothing, hobbies, and other aspects of culture--can also be used to unite or divide a group. This is just as true in the professional world as it is in informal communication. A professional who knows the jargon of his or her business may be more accepted--if subconsciously--than one who does not; while someone who uses the language common to his or her peers in an informal setting may acquire the same acceptance. It is a mark of social intelligence to understand and use these words in their proper contexts, or else a sign that one is foreign to the culture he or she has entered.
This is not intended as an indictment of those who exclude others, but an expansion of something I remember learning about for the first time in a college teacher education class. In that setting, we learned that part of our job as teachers is to teach students the language of the professional, formal world to allow them access to success in life (or, perhaps that is how I understood the teacher's meaning when he taught us this notion of formal and informal language), while also honoring their own use of language. Perhaps this political use of language as a means for inclusion and exclusion is why Quebec has in the past been fervent in maintaining French as part of Canada's recognized languages. Language can be an expression of power.
*Weeks, Linton. "Do We Talk Funny? 51 American Colloqualisms." NPR. 12 May 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.
**Falcone, Michael. "Jeb Bush Suggests Asking 'Hypothetical' Questions About Iraq 'Does a Disservice' to Dead American Soldiers." ABC News. 13 May 2015. Web. 23 May 2015.
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