What are the hottest speech trends this season? Which words will you hear spoken on the red carpet? Which phrases should you avoid at all costs?
You’re probably thinking that these are rather weird questions. And in a way, you’re right. They are slightly ridiculous. Of course, nobody should really be this concerned about the way they talk. But the point I want to make by asking them is simple – that our language is affected by shifts in fashion, just like our wardrobe.
Most of the time, with the obvious exception of offensive terms, we don’t pay much attention to how we natter. But surely anyone interested in style should also tune into speech trends. After all, the words we use on a daily basis are as much a part of our image as the clothes we wear.
If you fear that I might have lost the plot, let me ask you this. Have you found yourself being “obsessed” with anything recently? I bet you have. A few years ago nobody was obsessed with anything. Now, everyone is obsessed with everything from the latest hit on Netflix to the newest rare release from Supreme. Are we all truly obsessed? Certainly not. It’s just the modish way to say that you really really like something.
And let me ask you another. Have you noticed yourself ordering a “take-out” instead of a “take-away” recently? Do you now watch “movies”, rather than “films”? And how do you order a cup of coffee? Do you, by any chance, say “Can I get ___?”. Even if you don’t talk like this, I’m sure you know people who do. This is because peppering your language with American words is now de rigueur. (Unlike French phrases such as “de rigueur”, which are now rather passé.) ...
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