Englannin kieleen syntyy koko ajan uusia sanoja, vanhojen sanojen merkitykset muuttuvat ja jopa kielioppi kehittyy. Blogeissamme käsittelemme uusimpia englanninkielisiä trendejä, jotka voivat olla outoja jopa kieltä äidinkielenään puhuville. Lue lisää ja pysyt ajan tasalla!
English is changing all the time. New words are created, word meanings are changing and even grammar is evolving. For the reasons explained below, English can be a rather chaotic language with a lack of clear rules. Here are some of the latest trends in English to keep you up to date. If you find some of these changes strange, or feel they are bad English – don’t worry, many native English speakers feel that way too!
Do you think the sentences below are good English? Would you use the underlined terms?
- She ghosted
- Could you give me a spork?
- He dreamed of his childhood home.
- I skyped my brother
There is no one correct answer to this question. It depends on how much you accept the new changes in English. The terms underlined show some of the changes that are happening in English. Let’s go into them in detail.
New words
A major trend in English is the creation of new words. The first aspect of this is "verbing" (linguistically known as denominalisation). This is when we turn nouns into verbs and create new words. For example, “I ghosted her” (to ignore or not contact someone) from the noun “ghost” (haamu). Another example is “He bricked his phone” meaning his phone became like a brick (tiili) as he was locked out of it. This is a common process in English as any noun could technically become a verb in English.
A spork - a new blended from "spoon" and "fork"
A second source of new words are combination words (known as portmanteau words). This is when two words are blended together. There are words that are well accepted already, such as “email” (electronic + mail) or electrocute (electricity + execute). However, new blended words are being created all the time, such the material “pleather” (plastic + leather), the utensil “a spork” (spoon + fork), the fashion item “skorts” (skirt + shorts), or the emotional term “frenemy” (friend + enemy).
One positive note for language learners is that all these new terms are regular. All new nouns form the plural (monikko) by adding “-s” or “-ies” for -y endings. All new verbs form the Past Simple and Present Perfect by adding “-e/d”.
New nouns are regular
| Singular | Plural |
| spork | sporks |
| frenemy | frenemies |
New verbs are regular
| Present | Past Simple | Present Perfect |
| I text | I texted | I have texted |
| I skype | I skyped | I have skyped |
| I whatsapp | I whatsapped | I have whatsapped |
This is part of a growing trend towards regularisation in English. Language learners will be glad to hear that some irregular verbs are fading away. Now many people say “I creeped” rather than “I crept” or “I dreamed” rather than “I dreamt”. This trend generally is more common starting in the USA and the British and others later adopt it.
These are just some of the trends in English. If you are interested in these trends check out part 2 of our blog or contact Galimatias for more information about our language courses.
Galimatiaksessa toteutamme kielikoulutusta yrityksille, samoin kuin eri maihin ja aiheisiin liittyvää kulttuurivalmennusta. Ole yhteydessä ja suunnitellaan tarpeisiinne sopiva toteutus.
