Should the English language change?

From the archive, first published Friday 13th Apr 2007.

Learning languages is nothing new, but for the younger generations, adapting the English language to create a new form of English is now all the rage.

From "mullered" to "crunk", new invented words are making their way into the mainstream.

And these aren't just new English words - Hinglish (an amalgamation of Hindi and English) and Chinglish (a mixture of Chinese and English) are also making waves among the younger generations.

If these words are used enough without having to be explained, they could end up in the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as an official word.

Graeme Diamond, principal editor of the new word group at the OED, said: "Effectively, what we are looking for is evidence of reasonably wide usage over at least five years.

"Hinglish and Chinglish words could be included in the future. The minute it is used in the context where the main audience is English rather than Hindu or Chinese speakers, and it is used without explanation, then it's absolutely a visible candidate."

And it's not just in England. English words in other countries can sometimes mean different things.

Sam Jones, of research group Demos and co-author of a language report, As You Like It, said: "It's time we recognised the different forms of English around the world.

"Global English is a reality. There are 1.3 billion people who speak English around the world and they are using it in very different ways. English can no longer be seen as a single language, but more as a family of languages."

WHAT WOULD SAMUEL JOHNSON HAVE SAID?

It took Samuel Johnson nine years to write the first-ever dictionary in 1755.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has been around for the past 70 years.

The following words have recently made an appearance in the OED:

Bouncebackability - recover quickly

Crunk - type of hip-hop/rap music

Gapper - student on a gap year

Heffalump - child's name for elephant

Hoodie - youth wearing a hooded top

Muller - extremely drunk

Shoulder-surfing - spying on someone using a cash machine

Twonk - foolish person

COULD THESE MAKE IT INTO THE OED, TOO?

Machi-chips - fish and chips (hinglish)

Badmash - hooligan (hinglish)