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Not so ‘cool’
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Words don’t mean the same things they once did
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The youth Communicating differently
It’s time to overhaul your old vocabulary and the Wren-and-Martin rules. Words that you happily used a decade, or even a few years ago, may not mean the same thing now. ‘Cool’ no longer refers to the climate. Now, anything from your dress to your life can be ‘cool’. Some years ago, when someone said, ‘guys’, it strictly meant the male of the human species. Not anymore. Now, ‘guys’ can refer to boys and girls, and men and women. And, for teenagers ‘crush’ means something more pleasant and far removed from ‘compress’.
Different meanings
If you say a person is ‘gay’, chances are that people will think you are referring to a homosexual, and not a happy person. Lecturer Hannah Kirubaraj recollects using the word to describe a day at an English class. She heard a lot of giggles in response. “Now, I no longer use the word in that context. The original meaning is lost on a teenager,” she rues.
Forget using such language to fit in with the crowd; you’ll alienate a slightly older person from a conversation if you persist with it. So, it pays to know the contemporary meaning before using any word. Says Jayanthasri Balakrishnan, Reader in English, PSG College of Arts and Science: “Since language is dynamic, a change is welcome. There is nothing to be worried about, unless you have decided not to move with the times. However, it is up to you to choose the words you want to use. And, remember, there still are youngsters who prefer using traditional English.”
G. Rajagopal, Head of the Department of the Centre for ESL (English as a Second Language), School of English Language Education, TEFLU, Secunderabad, agrees with her. “Contemporary English,” as he terms it, “is perfectly all right, unless it is used very loosely.”
For him, it is a matter of attitude.
“Youngsters learn new vocabulary through the Internet or from peers. A dictionary published now would probably include these contemporary meanings of words as well,” he adds.
But, some usages are a tad difficult to digest. Check this out. A dusty bike is ‘sexy’, because of its many adventures.
When a college student says “sexy food”, an older person might frown at the usage.
According to Jayanthasri: “You don’t have to react to it. Remember that they seldom attach meaning to what they say.”
Are you really awe-struck when you say something is ‘awesome’? Jayanthasri explains that such words are called ‘square words’ because they have more than one meaning.
“Take, for instance, ‘homely’. Today, it is a compliment. But, till some years ago, it only meant ‘ordinary, plain and unattractive, even ugly’.”
Are teenagers willing to go back to the ‘traditional’ spoken language? Nah! That’s not so cool.
SHARON PREETI
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