Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 20:33:50 -0800

From: SETH SKLAREY crissiet[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IX.NETCOM.COM

Subject: Re: Changes to the English Language



Reply-To: hel-l[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ebbs.english.vt.edu





For research, I am trying to

locate a list of changes made in the last 10-20 years - I wish to keep

the speech lively. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.



Cheers,



Charles Anderson



In the last 20 years Valley Girl slang has come and gone (gag me out the

door, etc.) and has been replaced by the slang used by the Gap girls on

Saturday Night Live (And I'm all `Give me a break' and he's all...).



The process of conversion is alive and well. Note the tendency of adjectives

to become nouns on the evening traffic report (`Traffic's been slowed by a

disabled on the on-ramp of the BW Parkway,' `Those two disableds have been

cleared from the outer loop,' etc.).



And what about all the computer jargon that has become mainstream: interfacing,

etc.



Sincerely,

Edwin Duncan

=====

n Tue, 27 Feb 1996, Edwin Duncan wrote:



And what about all the computer jargon that has become mainstream:

interfacing,

etc.



That makes me think of the new verb "to access." I knew quite a few

people who were pretty bent out of shape over that one.



Brian Zahn

bzahn01[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mail.orion.org

====

From: simon[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]cvax.ipfw.indiana.edu



Several competing adversiting agencies here in neIN suggest that, if one

has a company "in a high traffic area", one could "get some impact" by

placing a banner in front of the building.



I think "impact" n & v are still changing.



beth simon

==========

This part of the atrocity sometimes called 'the verbing of America'.

I think there's a book of that name.



Dick

ddawson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mailbox.syr.edu

http://web.syr.edu/~ddawson