Changes

I recently read an article about the constant change in the languages, in particular on their lexical component, which helps us understand the reason why dictionaries are never ending: because these are works in process which try to reflect evolution and improvement by registering new forms and especially considering - the not so subtle at times - transformations of the meaning of any given word.

The explanation was interesting and reminded me of the many times we find words that are not listed in any dictionary, not even a virtual one. It is then when we turn into researchers: looking for synonyms, references, glossaries and start asking for help among other professionals to find the exact term. Thanks to globalization it is easier to share useful information back and forth between colleagues, updated information with the new terms being added to the language, which are frequently generated by a Translator, even though these terms may not have been officially recognized or added to a dictionary.

Change and variation are as natural in languages as in any other areas of life and dictionaries should obviously reflect these changes but… there are “inventions� that I simply don’t like! As in the case of the word “ginormous� which is an adjective combining “gigantic� and “enormous� Maybe it is part of the dynamics of change and I should not be surprised but it so happens and I’m not fond of it. It may be practical and even witty but in my opinion it distorts the purity and clarity of the language. But… Never say never! As everything in this life changes it might be that with repetition and use, in a while I might start using the word but for now I just say that such a gigantic change gives me an enormous glee!

Article Source: http://www.aword2thewise.com

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