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Something being accepted by society does not imply progress.
by justathrow2k 11y ago
Something being accepted by society does not imply progress.
- jasode 11y agoYou're using "progress" as a judgement of something that's "better" or "improved" ... like "technological progress". A "language progress" is a movement in usage and meaning. We "progressed" from "thy" "thee" to "your" "you" etc. It doesn't mean the words starting with "y" are "better" or "clearer" (in fact, they are the opposite of the previous formal/informal distinctions.) Nevertheless, language/culture has moved on.
- justathrow2k 11y agoI agree with the example of the macro usage of thy->thee->you/your as being an instance of progression, but I don't see the current trends in internet slang as a parallel example of something that will have such a long lasting effect on our language as a whole, but instead, well, just what I said, I see it as a trend that will eventually be a ghost. This is a prediction, of course.
- musername 11y agoit's called pro-gress. the optimistic interpretation is for a move to the better
- musername 11y agoit's called pro-gress. the optimistic interpretation is for a move to the better
- robotresearcher 11y agoThere is no progress. English is not better than it used to be. It was not wrong in Shakespeare's day and it's not wrong now. We have new words for new things. Adaptation is not progress.