Written by Malki Ehrlich on May 10, 2017
Let's begin by stating the obvious: all languages change over time and their grammar is slightly modified. New words and phrases are gradually introduced, not to mention evolutionary changes in pronunciation. One cannot compare, for example, modern French with medieval French, nor modern Russian to early Russian. This is not to say the process is good or bad, it’s just the natural evolution of language. In general grammar changes because languages are alive! English grammar is no different. Any language that doesn't evolve will surely cease to exist.
English is a vibrant, constantly changing language whose speakers love to create new words. This is the main reason technology depends on English to create new words such as “television” and “internet”. Whenever English speakers perceive a new word that serves a beneficial purpose or just sounds really cool, they tend to accept it.
Here are some recent examples:
Bling: Expensive and/or flashy clothing and jewelry.
Chillax: Chill or Calm down and relax.
Screenager: A person in their teens or twenties who has a knack for computers.
Woot!: Used to express joy, passion, or success.
Interestingly, a similar process of constant change also takes place in computer programming languages. This is surprising since one would expect them to always remain consistent and stable. Note that computer programming languages are the same as all other languages. From a non-technical point of view, one can assume that programming languages are perfect examples of a type of language that would gain from being consistent. Not to be confused with stagnant. There is an industry wide standard on programming languages, however, they are constantly being tweaked and made better.
