The English language, along with every other modern language, is an ever evolving entity. Some additions are harder to stomach than others (lol is an acronym not a word), but change is as much a part of language as it is all aspects of life.
Sometimes that means new words, sometimes that means new meanings of words, like wicked, which once meant, “evil or morally wrong” and now also means, “excellent; wonderful.”
And let’s not forget awful, which did a 180 in the opposite direction. It saddens me that a piece of our vocabulary went from, “inspiring reverential wonder or fear,” to, “very bad or unpleasant.”
What saddens me more is that another perfectly good word appears to be heading into a definition downward spiral—basic. What’s worse, is Dictionary.com is helping it along:
basic: adj. slang—(especially of a female) characterized by predictable or unoriginal style, interests, or behavior:
i.e. those basic girls who follow trends.
Don’t we have enough derogatory words for women? Do we need to define another?
Shouldn’t there be a basic understanding that just because a word is being used as a cruel insult, doesn’t mean we have to preserve it for future generations, and by basic I mean:
common to or required by everyone; primary and ineradicable or inalienable.
Some words are fine just the way they are, we don’t have to include every slang.Dictionary.com, I’m not saying I’m angry, just disappointed. It’s just so, basic:
offering or consisting in the minimum required without elaboration or luxury; simplest or lowest in level.
Huffington Post: The Dictionary Is So ‘Basic’
…bi-daily smile…
