Welcome to the Fluidity of the English Language

For those of you who don't frequent the same sides of the Internet that I do, you might have missed this holiday treat from PETA. This year, PETA wants us to stop using phrases that are cruel to animals and instead use non-violent language in our idioms (I've included the list below).

I'm half tempted to write this off entirely, but it's possible that 30-40 years down the line someone might find my comments and turn it into a "you're for animal cruelty" argument. The thing is, a cultural shift in how we discuss violence towards animals could happen. My generation might become completely confused as to why the younguns don't like real meat and instead want premium meat substitute (it tastes just like real meat, but without the actual meat).

All joking aside, I highly doubt that PETA's above suggestions will take hold in main stream American culture anytime soon. For one thing, some of the new suggestions don't hold the same meaning as the original idioms (bagels aren't as highly prized as bacon). Yet, that doesn't mean that some people won't adopt these phrases.

I have purposefully created some of my own words and phrases to help me better communicate. For example, I use the term Sig Fig (or significant figure) to mean a person's significant other (i.e. boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, etc.). I've also started using the pronoun they/them for anyone whose gender I am unfamiliar with. This one sprang out of my annoyance at constantly being mis-gendered in emails, even when my gender is specified in earlier communications (though it can be amusing to watch someone profusely apologize for this).

I'm not opposed to changes in the English language. Far from it. English has changed a lot in the last three centuries, let alone the time of early English and the first written accounts of Beowulf. I even struggle to read Shakespeare and that's considered to be written in Early Modern English.

Oh English, you really are the garbage disposal of European languages.

I mean this with as much love in my heart as possible (given the season and all). You're a language with over 500,000 unique words, more irregular verbs than regular, and enough flexibility for a guy called Shakespeare to invent 1,700 new words without everyone freaking out. There are dozens of regional dialects and more accents than I can distinguish.

Why couldn't my native language be easier to learn - let alone read and write?

I lived with a linguist for about a year in college. She once explained to me that English is a living language, therefore its constantly changing. This is why we dropped our informal second person form (thy/thou) around the early 1800s and how the phases "may I" and "can I" have become interchangeable in modern English.

I think there was more to her explanation, but me and the English language only get alone so well. Ergo, I've only remember so much of the conversation.

That doesn't mean I haven't noticed shifts in how our language is used.

There have always been words that have been taboo or extremely hurtful (none that I will type out here). As a kid, it's easy to accept the reasoning from adults that some words just aren't nice enough to say...ever...and a lot of them have four letters.

The level of how horrible a word is tends to be in correlation to societal attitudes at any given point in time. An example might be the word "gay". "Gay" at the turn of the 20th century was synonymous with words like "happy" or "joyful", hence it's use in the Christmas carol "Deck the Halls" which was written in 1862. Eventually, the use of the word shifted to mean a man who is attracted to other men.

However, in the early 2000s, I didn't know what the meaning of the word "gay" actually was. Other than the few times I'd heard it in Christmas carols, the only other time I'd heard the word "gay" used was as an insult or to mean "that which I do not like".

Boy, did I get a lesson in why I was wrong from my cousin who heard me say it in a negative way.

Because even though we teach that "sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can never hurt us", it isn't true. Words can hurt, a lot.

Language in many ways shape our perception of reality. Associating a negative connotation to a word can shape how we describe objects, places, and people. By thinking that the word "gay" meant something negative, I was starting to shape my future understanding of when a person was described as "gay". It wouldn't have been good and could have lead me to have an internal bias against gay people.

I was recently reminded at one of my writer's groups that I am often the first to point out problematic or non-politically correct language in a person's writing. It's not that I want to police language or how a person thinks, it's more that I want them to realize how their use of language will effect their perspective and their reader's assumptions. They, as the writer, might use words and phrases that a reader hasn't come across. They might write about ideas or subject matter that a reader is completely unfamiliar with.

And even if the author doesn't intend to, they do help shape their readers' sense of reality.

Do I ever feel bad about challenging someone's word choice or phrasing? Sometimes.

Do I know everything there is to know about problematic language or cultural linguistic shifts? Nope, can't say that I do.

The whole idea of what is or isn't offensive is incredibly subjective (so much so that I'm not certain I can say "Happy Holidays" without someone getting mad and demand that I say "Merry Christmas" instead). However, that doesn't excuse the fact that the words we pick and the phrases we use can be hurtful with or without intention.

I'm not perfect. I'm not always right (though I'm really good at pretending to be).

Is PETA being ridiculous to ask the English speaking world to make changes to their idioms (and also deny certain cultural aspects of the language itself)? In 2018 I think they are. But if you ask me this question again in 25-35 years, I might have a different answer.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.