Language is a funny thing. In particular, I’m thinking of English.
It’s not an easy language. Far too many twists and turns, things that sound like other things and changes that take place on a regular basis.
Charles Dickens got me thinking about this. It’s not like he called, or dropped by for a late night visit like one of his ghosts. I volunteered to read part of A Christmas Carol this year. (Sunday, December 8, 2:30 at Zion United on Main Street in Liverpool, if you’d like to join us.)
But reading through my part made me very aware of how the language has evolved. Things change on a regular basis. Words take on new meanings and new ones are added. It’s when you read something that was written over 150 years ago that you notice that things have changed.
I’m sure this happens in other languages as well. We don’t tend to notice when it is happening. It’s a bit like the proverbial boiling frog. When it’s happening slowly around you, you don’t realize it’s happening.
You might think that dictionary you got back in high school is style valid. But things change. Words get dropped, other get added.
In the past year, things like vacay and sesh have made the dictionary. So has fatberg, which is also a bit sad in a way. Fun things like pickleball and escape room have been added. Or how about coulrophobia, which is an abnormal fear of clowns. Blame Pennywise and Joker for that one.
It’s interesting how things change. Although sometimes the old words, like those written by Mr. Dickens, work just fine.
