Acronyms, Idioms and Slang: the Evolution of the English Language.

their religions. The importance is not in the similarities as much as it is in

slowly took shape in crealty the sociey. During the year various influneces help approach unity in the english which allow them to create a much stablize

Author George Orwell, in his text, Politics and the English Language, describes how in reality, language is man-made: a tool that we can shape for ourselves. He states, “Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes.” He then depicts how we can dispose unnecessary words that aren't needed anymore. “If one can get rid of these bad habits, one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration.” Language is like a being of its own, always changing and adding new words and slang. In this day and age, we do not speak in Shakespearean verse, for language has changed and moved on from that century. We now regard it as a dated way of speaking, though in that time period, we certainly did not know that. If language is always changing, then we should change the team name to something else, especially since it is outdated and

Millennials are known for coming up with slang words, that they frequently use, eventually get tired

Sometimes it may be appropriate to use slang with your peers but in normal working with colleagues or service users you should avoid using any language that can be misunderstood or misinterpreted or that might cause offence.

In the contemporary United States, using the word is taboo, and it is often replaced with the euphemism "the N-word". "Nigga", is sometimes used among African Americans as a neutral or term of endearment.

In most period shows, slang is a way to connect it to the time period and show how people talked then. “The script is relatively devoid of period slang, and it lacks any references to pop culture, political figures, or ‘current events’ that might set the action around 1970”(57) Shows like Rent and Hairspray that use period slang or can be set around a certain time because of it. Company does its best to not put any slang into the show so that it can always be considered in the present like the time and place say in the script. The closest thing to slang that is in the show is when, “Harry offers Robert a Bourbon. Given the decline of ‘brown’ liquors since 1970, it’s more likely that today he’d be offered a beer or wine”(57) However, brown liquors are still around and still widely

jargon- words that are specific to a certain group or profession. For example, in The Harry

Directions: Match the meaning in the right column to the correct slang term in the left column. You must complete a minimum of 10 choices. Each additional correct match earns one extra credit point.

Jargon is when a service provider uses technical language the service user may not understand. For example, the doctor may say that a patient needs bloods and an MRI scan. That can sound very frightening to someone who has been rushed in to hospital. It is better if the doctor explains that they need to take some blood to do some simple tests and then explains what a MRI scan is. Understanding the facts can make something seem less scary.

Slang: a type of language that consists of words that are regarded as informal, and is most common in speech, and is typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. Nearly everyday, even without noticing it, most people use slang in their speech on a daily basis. How people speak can be interpreted very differently to listeners depending on their background. Many areas have their own type of speech that usually, only people who come from that background will understand. After reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and making an FJAVE dictionary and examples, it is easy to see that speech holds so much power, especially when the people communicating are born around the same time period or if they live in the same area.

Language is all around us, it is how we communicate with one another, it brings meaning to literature, and is cemented into our culture. Walt Whitman, a famous American novelist from the 19 century, highlights the effects of language on the American population in his essay, Slang in America. He focuses on positive aspect of slang, how we adapt slang into the english language, as if it is second nature to use, giving a deeper meaning to everyday phrases and words. By contrast, Politics and the English Language, by George Orwell, does not highlight the positive side to slang, instead looking at how authors have started to write with no purpose, no meaning in their texts. George Orwell, in Politics and the English Language, creates an connotation between ideas and an appeal to logos to convince the reader that writers have started to write meaningless pieces of work and could have potentially negative effects on the American people. Compared to Walt Whitman’s use of an unifying tone and an appeal to pathos in Slang in America, that highlights the positive effects of the English language on the American people.

Everyone has a different interpretation of the word, “invention”. However the word is simply defined as; a new device, method of process developed from study and experimentation. An invention is just a mental fabrication; it’s a falsehood (Dictionary.com 2013).1 Although in the essays, “Why I write” by Joan Didion, “Life in a new Language” by Eva Hoffman, and “Basmati Rice: An Essay about Words” by Audrey Thomas, each author has their own view on the English language, how they each began inventing their own writing styles, and also their reasons for why they chose to become writers. These are the three things that make their definitions of invention very particular and their own.

Language has gradually advanced over many millions of years. Slang has developed, and other cultures languages and quirks have made their way in, and it has become one. Language has a way of shaping our identities, and personal cultures. It brings us together, and sometimes it even makes us move apart.

Think of things that morph over time. What comes to mind? People may think about a music artist’s change from YouTube videos recorded on iPhones to sold-out concerts. Or, they may think about the changes an athlete makes from childhood to becoming a professional athlete. However, did you think about how much a language changes over a couple of years? Every year words are added to and taken from the dictionary. Words are formed and forgotten. Language changes because of a person’s vocabulary and location, but what happens to a language, like the English language, that is spread across the whole world?