The English language is getting dumber

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How old are you, OP? I took keyboarding in the ninth grade back in '96.

Not OP, but I took typing on a typewriter in 9th grade in 1982.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, American English is absolutely getting “dumber” every day. Common usage puts the misused word in the dictionary and then we’re done. We’re losing key distinctions by accepting misuse.

Or languages always evolve. Ask a linguist.

Of course languages evolve to include more words and terms, not they laziness and misuse. Take nauseous/nauseated. We lost nauseated and use nauseous for both something that will make you feel like vomiting and feeling like vomiting. Why? Laziness. And don’t get me started on turning every noun into a verb!

We’re losing language precision.

Exactly. Why are we gifting things? What happened to giving gifts? And why are we sending invites for parties instead of sending invitations to invite sonmeone to a party?

Because people are stupid and lazy.

If you weren’t so lazy, you would look up that word and realize its usages include The Myths of Babylon and Assyria, a book published in 1915.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gifting

If you weren't so stupid, you'd realize you proved the PP's point.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if this much pearl-clutching happened when Old English became Middle English, or during other multiple times in history when language changed.

The only constant is change.

[Anonymous]

I took an adult ed class in the early 90s called Keyboarding because i was a terrible typist. I had to read thru the description in the class catalog to make sure it was a typing class because i had never heard the work keyboarding before. I think they were tying to clarify that the students (all adults) would be learning to type on a computer keyboard, not a typewriter. That was news to me.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe we've lost the difference between you and thou. It's sheer laziness and imprecision. How will we ever know the difference between our close intimates and the feudal lord?

Kids these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Candidly, I’m more irked by the fact most Americans can’t spell and therefore end up using the British spelling for words like grey instead of gray and cancelled instead of canceled.

I was a proofreader for a major corporation during grad school (so obviously before spellcheck). I spelled it “cancelled” then, and still do.

[Anonymous]

Keyboarding has been a term for typing since at least the mid 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe we've lost the difference between you and thou. It's sheer laziness and imprecision. How will we ever know the difference between our close intimates and the feudal lord?

Kids these days.

Lovely, pp!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keyboarding has been a term for typing since at least the mid 90s.

I thought this was keyboarding.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbCp5lsrIn4&feature=youtu.be

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keyboarding simply refers to a computer keyboard vs typewriter keys. It's a different skill, although similar. Learning touch typing is the focus of both.

Lots of nouns are now also used as verbs:

Parenting
Googling
Emailing
texting
Ubering

It's actually called "verbing" when it happens.

We called them gerunds. Don't get me started on dangling participles.

They are called gerunds, it is not called “verbing”!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Keyboarding simply refers to a computer keyboard vs typewriter keys. It's a different skill, although similar. Learning touch typing is the focus of both.

Lots of nouns are now also used as verbs:

Parenting
Googling
Emailing
texting
Ubering

It's actually called "verbing" when it happens.

We called them gerunds. Don't get me started on dangling participles.

Oh for Pete’s sake, the process of taking a noun and turning it into a verb is indeed called ‘verbing’. Verb forms ending in -ing are gerunds. I’m a linguist and this might be one of the dumbest threads I’ve ever read on this site. Languages evolve. Is French a dumbed down version of Latin? No one would make that argument. Don’t you all have better things to get your panties in a wad about?


They are called gerunds, it is not called “verbing”!

[Anonymous]

Epic bruh moment

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

My biggest pet peeve is the shift to British spelling of words I was taught to spell the American way back in the 80s.

It used to be gray, not grey. In fact, Sister Anna Marie would correct the British spelling—not accept it as an alternative spelling.

Ditto for canceled. (My assistant “corrected” me for spelling it the traditional American way.)

Having said that, I’m a bit of an Anglophile and I happen to applaud the Brits for their posh approach to speaking. Americans generally sound like daft dolts.

[Anonymous]

You're the kind of person who probably reads MLA manuals for fun.

Good grief, this is what really bothers you every day?