Language Changes!

Here's a shocker: Language changes! It seems there's nothing we can rely on, right? I mean, if our own language won't stay still for a damn minute ...

Here's what got me thinking about this.* My customary seat in the coffee shop is near the cash register, and I very, very often hear people say "Thank you" when their orders arrive.

But here's the thing: Recently, I've noticed that lots of people now say this as if it were close to "Think you." I mean, it should rhyme with "Spank you," right? Not "Stink you."

But every day ... Think you! Think you! Think you!

I shouldn't get annoyed ... but I obviously do.

I have kind of mellowed out about usage and pronunciation since I've reached my Golden Years. I don't get all hyper when I see someone on Facebook or elsewhere use your when they meant you're. Typos happen; spell-check skips right over "real" words. I've done it myself--made a dumb error.

Joyce (my wife) often reads through my blogs each day and invariably finds errors I must scurry to correct. They are almost always words-that-are-really-words-but-words-that-don't-fit-where-I've-put-them.

I've written here before about ways our language has changed just since I was in school (okay, so that was sixty years ago): Most people don't observe the differences between will and shall, for example, differences that our junior high teachers tried (and failed) to pound into us.

Oh, and the other day I was in a wee Facebook exchange with the daughter of two of my former high school classmates, and she indicated she felt awkward ending a sentence with a preposition--one of our dumber rules. We do it all the time (you know what I'm talking about?). Not ending sentences with a preposition can produce some stuffy, awkward language--you know about what I'm talking?

And, besides, that preposition rule is one we borrowed from Latin (where it works ... I think) and impose it on English (where it doesn't).

A final thought in this rambling mini-rant: My students used to get very frustrated with Shakespeare. How can anyone understand this stuff!?!?! All that thou and thine and dost stuff!

Well, I would tell them, if Shakespeare were to show up at your lunch table today, he wouldn't understand a thing you were saying and talking about. He would have to study a little so that he could communicate with you. So ... guess what we're going to do!?!

Anyway, min-rant is over ... and for your attention, I think you.

*Proofreading just now, I found that I had typed his here. I'm betting Joyce will find some others.