| The legendary George Carlin made a career out | | | | I'm not sure what 'dudes' did in the 1400s to |
| of calling attention to the difference | | | | do the deed on 'nice,' but their modern-day |
| between how words and phrases are perceived | | | | progeny are alive and well today, turning the |
| as opposed to what they're 'actually' saying | | | | street meaning of 'sick' into a synonym for |
| ... | | | | 'cool,' which was 'morphed' by earlier 'cats' |
| | | | from a temperature condition to a state of |
| He would ask wonderfully rhetorical | | | | zeitgeist. (That's German for 'trendy;' |
| questions, my favorite of which was this: | | | | conservatives find foreign phrases acceptable |
| | | | as 'pop' condescensions.) Every generation |
| - Would you really get on a non-stop flight? | | | | has its slang, of course. It's rare that |
| | | | definitions of affected words actually evolve |
| And yet, that term is not only used on a | | | | into the established vernacular, ie- |
| daily basis, but with a straight face every | | | | dictionary recognition, which ironically |
| time. How does this happen, where nonsense | | | | gives them the distinction of being defended |
| actually becomes an understandable phrase? | | | | by conservatives as 'proper' English. Whether |
| | | | that occurs or not, people of each time |
| There are two schools of thought when it | | | | period still need to understand each other. |
| comes to the use of the English language. The | | | | This gives rise to 'alternative' reference |
| conservative view is that its integrity must | | | | sources. |
| be maintained, perhaps grudgingly at times. | | | | |
| The liberal view is that, in order to be a | | | | One of the more interesting of these today is |
| lively, vibrant language, it needs to adapt | | | | the Urban Dictionary. It's the brainchild of |
| to the times. Of course, there's also my | | | | Aaron Peckham, a student at (where else?) Cal |
| view, which is that the English language | | | | Poly. He saw a need to catalog, define and |
| defies definition. | | | | post today's slang for the benefit of all. |
| | | | His site is non-profit and its popularity has |
| My case could be started by citing the | | | | skyrocketed. The key reason for this has got |
| classic instance where it can be argued that | | | | to be the exponential growth of cyberspace. |
| 'ghoti' is a homonym of 'fish' by nature of | | | | |
| the following logic: | | | | The Urban Dictionary has become so popular, |
| | | | it's now available in book form. It contains |
| - 'gh' sounds like 'f' in words like 'enough' | | | | a modest 2000 slang definitions. However, |
| and 'cough;' | | | | that's the same as the number of submissions |
| | | | the website receives every day from |
| - 'o' sounds like 'i' in 'women;' and | | | | contributors around the world. You'll find |
| | | | over 250,000 submissions there, from |
| - 'ti' sounds like 'sh' in words like | | | | emoticons to phrases. |
| 'sanction' and 'action.' | | | | |
| | | | If you've 'gone 404' --- a reference for the |
| This is a ridiculous extreme, of course. The | | | | online error message displayed when a site is |
| evolution of letter combinations and the | | | | missing --- you're truly speaking geek. If |
| sounds they represent in English is a result | | | | you're ignoring someone by concentrating on |
| of dialectical isolation over many decades. | | | | your electronic device, such as a PDA, MP3 or |
| As universal as the language has become, this | | | | laptop, you're 'evoiding' them. Have you ever |
| is a natural progression. It's also why more | | | | accidentally called someone because your |
| geographically 'compact' languages such as | | | | mobile phone is fitting too tightly in your |
| Swedish remain 'purer' in the logic of their | | | | pocket? If so, you've just 'butt dialed' |
| pronunciation rules. | | | | someone. |
| | | | |
| Another development of English is that, not | | | | Peckham's labor of love attracts millions of |
| only do sounds change over time, so do | | | | hits per year. He now utilizes the services |
| definitions. | | | | of volunteer editors to keep his site |
| | | | up-to-date. It's fair to say that the Urban |
| With that in mind, let's take a 'nice' change | | | | Dictionary has become a reliable reference |
| of direction. 'Nice' has its origin in the | | | | for coping with the cyber-culture. Peckham |
| Latin word, 'nescius,' which means | | | | says as much in the book's introduction, |
| 'ignorant.' So, the phrase 'nice man' would | | | | calling it "a resource for parents trying to |
| have been referring to an idiot in the 1400s. | | | | understand their kids, for language learners |
| However, by the 1600s, the word had turned. A | | | | confused by real-world English - but most of |
| 'nice man' then meant that he was 'refined.' | | | | all for your entertainment." |
| After slightly more than a century, a 'nice | | | | |
| man' had become 'pleasant' --- and recognized | | | | It is an interesting surf. As he promises, it |
| in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as such --- | | | | can even be quite useful. In fact, I'd even |
| which stands to this day. | | | | go so far to say that he's done a very nice |
| | | | job with it. Very nice, indeed. In a sick |
| How 'sick' is that for a turn of events? | | | | sort of way, of course. |
| | | | |