Date:  Tue, 27 Feb 1996 20:33:50 -0800

From:  SETH SKLAREY <crissiet[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IX.NETCOM.COM>

Subject: Re: Changes to the English Language



>Reply-To: hel-l[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ebbs.english.vt.edu



>

>For research, I am trying to

>>locate a list of changes made in the last 10-20 years - I wish to keep

>>the speech lively. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

>>

>>Cheers,

>>

>>Charles Anderson

>

>In the last 20 years Valley Girl slang has come and gone (gag me out the

>door, etc.) and has been replaced by the slang used by the Gap girls on

>Saturday Night Live (And I'm all `Give me a break' and he's all...).

>

>The process of conversion is alive and well. Note the tendency of adjectives

>to become nouns on the evening traffic report (`Traffic's been slowed by a

>disabled on the on-ramp of the BW Parkway,' `Those two disableds have been

>cleared from the outer loop,' etc.).

>

>And what about all the computer jargon that has become mainstream: interfacing,

>etc.

>

>Sincerely,

>Edwin Duncan

=====

n Tue, 27 Feb 1996, Edwin Duncan wrote:



> And what about all the computer jargon that has become mainstream:

interfacing,

> etc.



 That makes me think of the new verb "to access." I knew quite a few

people who were pretty bent out of shape over that one.



Brian Zahn

bzahn01[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mail.orion.org

====

From: simon[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]cvax.ipfw.indiana.edu



Several competing adversiting agencies here in neIN suggest that, if one

has a company "in a high traffic area", one could "get some impact" by

placing a banner in front of the building.



I think "impact" n & v are still changing.



beth simon

==========

This part of the atrocity sometimes called 'the verbing of America'.

I think there's a book of that name.



Dick

ddawson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mailbox.syr.edu

http://web.syr.edu/~ddawson