Saturday, January 12, 2013

Language Evolution

I have noticed that even well-educated individuals omit the -ly from adverbs. Contemporary evidence in commercials include the following examples: Honda says, "What if it turned sharper?" Apple says, "Think Different." Safe Auto says, "Drive Safe." The teacher in me screams silently, but the business consultant in me watches with fascination as the American English language changes. "Who" is used for "whom." "Alright" is used for "all right." "Womens" is used for "Women's Room." We are losing the -ly form, whom, all right, and the possessive apostrophe. These, of course, are not official changes yet, but they are in the works. A few decades from now, things will be different. If Shakespeare were alive today, would scratch his head in confusion? Language is a communication tool; therefore, it must change to reflect the changes in society and technology so that we can continue to talk to and learn from one another.

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