Discussion
king word so stop fspikey78 said:
Since when did this non-word become part of the English language?
It always has been, the word has it's origins in old English - it's use has simply fallen out of favour in Britain.Of course - language evolves over time - there is no reason it's use can't undergo a revival.
Perhaps the OP picked on the wrong word, but evolving language or not, certain terms although correct can be annoying.
Why did railway stations become train stations? It's not wrong, but to me it sounds childish, like something a little kid as yet without an extensive vocabulary would use.
Mummy "What did we do? We went on a.....?". Kid "Twain". Mummy "That's right, and where did we get the train
?". Kid "Twain station?". Mummy "That's right the train station"
To me it sounds as odd as a grown up saying "Horsy" or "Moo cow" or "Bunny rabbit" when talking normally.
I am glad English evolves, but I guess (see I used an Americanism which will annoy some) it's not always for the best.
I have American family, one of whom came to live in the UK. A common language, so far apart. She was staying at our house when I was about 15. I'd had a teenage strop with my mum. She defused the disagreement unintentionally by stating "You two have been fighting all morning". Me and my mum burst out laughing. Fighting? Like we had been slugging it out, punch for punch occasionally resorting to baseball bats from time to time."
To her fighting meant arguing.
When I was at University (Not Uni because I am not in an Aussie soap) the same American relative kept asking me how I was finding school?
But our language does evolve, for good and bad, from the rising inflection of antipodean origin from TV shows like neighbours, to Indian slang like Pukka from the days of empire to terms from Shakespeare Del Boy and Arfur Dailey.
Why did railway stations become train stations? It's not wrong, but to me it sounds childish, like something a little kid as yet without an extensive vocabulary would use.
Mummy "What did we do? We went on a.....?". Kid "Twain". Mummy "That's right, and where did we get the train
?". Kid "Twain station?". Mummy "That's right the train station"
To me it sounds as odd as a grown up saying "Horsy" or "Moo cow" or "Bunny rabbit" when talking normally.
I am glad English evolves, but I guess (see I used an Americanism which will annoy some) it's not always for the best.
I have American family, one of whom came to live in the UK. A common language, so far apart. She was staying at our house when I was about 15. I'd had a teenage strop with my mum. She defused the disagreement unintentionally by stating "You two have been fighting all morning". Me and my mum burst out laughing. Fighting? Like we had been slugging it out, punch for punch occasionally resorting to baseball bats from time to time."
To her fighting meant arguing.
When I was at University (Not Uni because I am not in an Aussie soap) the same American relative kept asking me how I was finding school?
But our language does evolve, for good and bad, from the rising inflection of antipodean origin from TV shows like neighbours, to Indian slang like Pukka from the days of empire to terms from Shakespeare Del Boy and Arfur Dailey.
Edited by wildcat45 on Saturday 1st November 16:35
Edited by wildcat45 on Saturday 1st November 16:37
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