In a matter of generations is the English dialect changing significantly?

[Huntn]

Note: I initially made this reply in another thread about cliches and decided it might be better with a different topic.

I was at the pool the other day and I saw this happening, so I walked over to the guard (20 something) and asked if (kids) sitting on the lane dividers was frowned upon? Does this question make sense to our young members? Would anyone say this is old person talk? The guard asked me what did I mean? I had to follow up with is it bad to sit on the lane dividers? He understood that and said yes.

This is somewhat beside the point of this particular post, but I also asked him what is the YMCA policy for kids playing in lap lanes, during times designated for swimming laps, when people were waiting to swim laps? He told me he had no clue... Hmm.

I mentioned it before (another time, another thread), but was at McDonald's today ordering a lunch and after everything I said, the response was no problem. That's really bothering me these days, because IMO as a rule, no problem should be reserved for instances when you are inconvienencing an employee or asking for something unusual, not on the menu. It should be assumed there is no problem ordering what's on the menu, or the voice in the box being able to produce what you order. Better replies would be yes, got it, absolutely, my pleasure, or say nothing unless there is an issue understanding the order.

I think you got a special one there, has nothing to do with 20ish people's comprehension

Good to know, just verifying. I do know that other phrases have popped up during my life, with a first time hearing them. Such as my bad (my fault) and sick as in that's sick, which really means that's cool or great... I think.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Plus all those pesky kids keep treading on my lawn! And what's the deal with airline food?

In all seriousness: things change with language over time, especially with the colloquial tongue, and they don't always change for the better. A few sayings may irk you, though as long as they're not intending to be mean and just trying to be polite, I think we can learn to overlook it!

 

[Tomorrow]

The one that I still can't get past is "my bad." It sounds like someone who has made an excruciating effort to speak English as poorly as possible, but it's become not only accepted but preferred by many. I'm not a fan of it, myself.

 

[Borin]

As a 20 YO, someone not understanding "if (kids) sitting on the lane dividers was frowned upon?" is just shameful.

 

[Huntn]

As a 20 YO, someone not understanding "if (kids) sitting on the lane dividers was frowned upon?" is just shameful.

Thanks for confirming. For that circumstance, someone looking at me as if I was speaking a foreign tongue was jarring.
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The one that I still can't get past is "my bad." It sounds like someone who has made an excruciating effort to speak English as poorly as possible, but it's become not only accepted but preferred by many. I'm not a fan of it, myself.[/Q]

That phrase as far as I can tell has been accepted as a legitimate way of expressing a mistake. I admit to using it on occasion, cause it uses less syllables. My impression is that this was first used as a humorous phrase, but maybe it's slang from somewhere.

 

[rdowns]

I get solicited by a lot of millenial salespeople and I have no clue what language they speak. Everything is a ****ing cliche. No problem, circle back, core competency, move the needle, lots of moving parts, scalable, get your ducks in a row, drill down, take it offline, synergy, reach out, low hanging fruit, peel the onion.

I was in sales for many years rising to the VP level. As all our calls are recorded, I use these calls as training for our salespeople.

 

[Volusia]

The ones that get to me are using "like" fourteen times in every sentence and ending every sentence with "you know!"

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Language has always changed, especially English, which is a language that has long cheerfully incorporated the vocabularies of countries, and cultures that it encountered.

However, these days, with media - such as TV (many of the kids I knew when I was a child acquire a slight American twang in how they chose to pronounce certain specific words, entirely the result of the TV serials they watched) - and social media, I suspect that the speed - and range - of these changes may be somewhat faster than it used to be.

 

[colourfastt]

The ones that get to me are using "like" fourteen times in every sentence and ending every sentence with "you know!"

I'll raise: I was having a conversation with an ex, and he used "like" 11 times in a sentence fragment. It was not even a complete sentence but a FRAGMENT!!

His use of "like" was so pervasive that often I had to pull up Zappa's "Valley Girl" on the iPod to remind him of how idiotic he sounded.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'll raise: I was having a conversation with an ex, and he used "like" 11 times in a sentence fragment. It was not even a complete sentence but a FRAGMENT!!

His use of "like" was so pervasive that often I had to pull up Zappa's "Valley Girl" on the iPod to remind him of how idiotic he sounded.

Indeed.

Well, then, this may beg the question of just where, and how, we acquire our vocabularies and our language? What influences us when we are learning language? What oral sources do we use - family, friends/peer groups, - teachers, colleagues - those on radio, TV and other forms of media - and what written sources - if any - do we use?

However, a further consideration that occurs is to ask how many youngsters actually read these days: By read, I mean sit down to read books, - or, serious newspapers, magazines, periodicals, - the sort where long thoughtful articles that are usually well written have been published.

I suspect that you may find that those who speak in full sentences, - which is something that is far rarer than you think - and have a wide vocabulary, tend to have read extensively.

 

[ravenvii]

@Huntn funny that you should mention that one -- my mother was complaining about the 'no problem' thing the other day. I admit I use the term to mean the same thing as 'sure' and never gave it any thought until now.

 

[BernyMac]

And every thing that is supposed to be a "tip" for another way of doing just a tad better is now a "hack". Everything is a "hack" even if that "hack" is totally useless...like using an empty water bottle to separate the egg yolk or using a straw to hull a strawberry.

 

[AlliFlowers]

Spot on!

I recently blogged about the fact that we spend 12 years teaching children English, but we never give them the opportunity to practice using it (outside of writing term papers).

 

[BernyMac]

Spot on!

I recently blogged about the fact that we spend 12 years teaching children English, but we never give them the opportunity to practice using it (outside of writing term papers).

Well, during the first years of their lives we keep encouraging children to speak...and the rest of their lives to shut up.

 

[Huntn]

@Huntn funny that you should mention that one -- my mother was complaining about the 'no problem' thing the other day. I admit I use the term to mean the same thing as 'sure' and never gave it any thought until now.

In service industries, I regard no problem (as a reply to a request) to be a semi-negative, while there are other better answers that are solid positives. Don't think I'd ever use the phrase in a personal relationship unless I was annoyed or being sarcastic.

 

[D.T.]

I was at the pool the other day and I saw this happening, so I walked over to the guard (20 something) and asked if (kids) sitting on the lane dividers was frowned upon? Does this question make sense to our young members? Would anyone say this is old person talk? The guard asked me what did I mean? I had to follow up with is it bad to sit on the lane dividers? He understood that and said yes.

That _could_ be another behavior that I run into all the time - maybe because I talk fast, and my mind is generally operating on a different cadence than folks around me - but it's that first [attempt at] communication. Many people can't process it, it's like their mind is off on some other task ("that sure was a funny cat picture on Facebook..."), and there's some latency, they "weren't ready" to receive input (pardon all the computer metaphors )

A related issue is where I attempt to inform the person I'm speaking to of all the details in the initial dialog, and invariably, they ask about the same details. People are just easily overloaded, unless they operate in some kind of space where that's the norm.

 

[Huntn]

That _could_ be another behavior that I run into all the time - maybe because I talk fast, and my mind is generally operating on a different cadence than folks around me - but it's that first [attempt at] communication. Many people can't process it, it's like their mind is off on some other task ("that sure was a funny cat picture on Facebook..."), and there's some latency, they "weren't ready" to receive input (pardon all the computer metaphors )

A related issue is where I attempt to inform the person I'm speaking to of all the details in the initial dialog, and invariably, they ask about the same details. People are just easily overloaded, unless they operate in some kind of space where that's the norm.

This could be valid for the situation I described. It is possible that he was not paying attention, or was not used to hearing a sentence and verbage constructed in that manner and instead of asking me to repeat, asked me what I meant.

 

[D.T.]

This could be valid for the situation I described. It is possible that he was not paying attention, or was not used to hearing a sentence and verbage constructed in that manner and instead of asking me to repeat, asked me what I meant.

I've got to where I always give a person some time with a "Hi ... <pause> ... can I ask you a question?" Then there's time for them to focus, the intent is clearly communicated, there's a simple friendly greeting.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

In service industries, I regard no problem (as a reply to a request) to be a semi-negative, while there are other better answers that are solid positives. Don't think I'd ever use the phrase in a personal relationship unless I was annoyed or being sarcastic.

That is quite funny, and may be down to one of those cross-Atlantic subtle cultural differences, where the same expression comes freighted with different baggage, inferences and meanings - because, unlike other terms which we have discussed elsewhere - (I seem to remember a difference of opinion over ''going forward', in particular), 'no problem' is not an expression that I have any issue with, or problem with, and, whenever I have seen it used (or even - yes - on the occasions I have used it myself) it does not carry a negative connotation.

 

[997440]

The ones that get to me are using "like" fourteen times in every sentence and ending every sentence with "you know!"

There's a similar malady experienced by numerous speakers, especially those involved in oh so serious political or technical discussion. Better than 50% of their sentences begin with the word *so*.

 

[elf69]

Im 32 and I do use "no problem" without thinking about it.

I also know as OP posted what frowned upon means.

my parents where quite old skool.

 

[BernyMac]

"Groovy", "rad" and "tubular" should be brought back!

 

[Huntn]

That is quite funny, and may be down to one of those cross-Atlantic subtle cultural differences, where the same expression comes freighted with different baggage, inferences and meanings - because, unlike other terms which we have discussed elsewhere - (I seem to remember a difference of opinion over ''going forward', in particular), 'no problem' is not an expression that I have any issue with, or problem with, and, whenever I have seen it used (or even - yes - on the occasions I have used it myself) it does not carry a negative connotation.

Remember my focus is on the service industry. Think if it this way, after looking over the menu you order veal sauté mascot, artichoke, and mushroom, with a bottle of Chenin Blanc... would you rather hear My pleasure or No problem?

 

[oneMadRssn]

Obligatory xkcd:

source: http://xkcd.com/1576/

 

[mobilehaathi]

Remember my focus is on the service industry. Think if it this way, after looking over the menu you order veal sauté mascot, artichoke, and mushroom, with a bottle of Chenin Blanc... would you rather hear My pleasure or No problem?

"My pleasure" feels overly fawning to me.