Later, in high school I took Latin. You'll remember from an earlier Blog that I was interested in veterinarian medicine. Latin was a must for anyone going into science or medicine at that time. All I remember from that experience is amo, amas, amat, coupled with a few phrases. No wonder it is a dead language!
Now, I'm in the process of learning a new 'language'. Sure, I've been exposed to some of the lexicons of the latest communication methods, but, like French and Latin I have only managed to retain a few 'phrases' (if that is what they are called).
For about the past two years my staff and I have been texting one another. This generally occurs when I am off-site and they have questions. Texting allows me to respond to them, quickly. In fact, when I was in India a few weeks ago, my staff sent me a text with a work-related question that needed a timely response. In recent months, I have noticed in their messages they use current slang terms to communicate an idea or thought to me. Some of these I 'get' and some I don't.
One day, I was having lunch with my daughter and some of her college friends. The conversation turned to texting. My daughter blurted that not only was she shocked that I was texting, but, she loudly proclaimed that I did so in complete sentences! While my staff and family occasionally use their abbreviated versions when messaging, it appears that they have a tendency to write more formally when communicating with me. Good thing, bad thing? Who knows.
This past week, I had another crash course in messaging verbiage. One of my coworkers had indicated that she was listening to her CUTZ and would appreciate it if we avoided chatting with her. Well, that was just the invitation I needed to start up a conversation. So, I sent a message asking the most obvious of all questions, "What is CUTZ?" as I really did not know.
After a few back 'n forth banters, it was determined that I was really out of the proverbial 'loop'. This aging, Caucasian woman was back in fourth grade learning a new language and it was not pretty. Later, that very same day, I received a message from another co-worker in response to an email I had sent to all of my co-workers in the building. She responded, very simply, with a short response of just four letters. Once again, I had to ask what the letters meant. That is when I learned about an online source for new and emerging urban verbiage! Wow, did I ever receive an education!
So, after thinking about this for awhile, I wondered, with all of these new additions to our vocabulary, how many words are there in the English language? To get an answer to my question I went to the Global Language Monitor. The Monitor's research indicated that on March 23, 2011 there were over one million words! Actually, it indicated that there were 1,008,879 words. Now, that "Word a Day" calendar sitting on my desk isn't going to get me very far at this rate. As well, I'm wondering who has the time to figure this out! And, most importantly, does it include the OMG's and LOL's out there! After thinking about this for awhile, I realized I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Further, should I, somehow, come up with a new word how do I get it counted?
Anyway, back to my pre-one million English words mode, earlier today I was asked to look at a student's research paper and provide some feedback. I reviewed the rubric detailing the necessary requirements while editing for errors in grammar and content (as I was one of the paper's subjects). I was really pleased to see that the author had used 1.) complete sentences, and 2.) proper grammar (for the most part). This gave me new hope that while the LOL's and OMG's and hahaha's, and ONTD's are out there (as is CUTZ), there is still hope that the formality of our language is not dead, (like Latin), but merely transformed to meet the needs of communicating in a whole new and exciting way. I guess that is one of the reasons why there are over a million English words out there. Hmmmmmm. Maybe we should be having weekly vocabulary quizzes again...in English!
By the way, I learned that CUTZ meant my coworker was listening to her 'tunes'. Enjoy!
URGENT JOB BLAST!
Capital Area Michigan Works! will be hosting Phoenix Services on Friday, March 25th, at 2:00 p.m. to recruit drivers to transport GM vehicles from the Delta Plant to a designated location.
This is a temporary assignment beginning on Saturday, March 26th!
- Pay is $10/hour
- Must have a valid driver's license
- Must NOT have any felonies
If you have a Bachelors degree (any field):
Pearson (Lansing): Standardized Test Scores...OPEN HOUSE
- Base Pay $12/hour
- Performance Pay Projects offer opportunity to earn even more
- Day Shift: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F
- Bachelors degree required (any field)
- Proof of Degree and eligibility to work in the U.S. will be required
- Saturday, March 26th from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- To begin: http://www.flexiblescoring-reg.pearson.com/
- Click on "APPLY HERE" under Featured Links
- Complete the Survey
JOB BLASTS!
For more information about the Michigan Talent Bank Job Postings, click on the posting number.
Irish Developments (Lansing and St. Johns): Maintenance Person, MTB # 3047113
Global Technology Associates (Mason): Quality Engineer, MTB # 3045138
Outshiner (Okemos): Quick Lube Attendant, MTB # 3047082
Outshiner (Charlotte): Quick Lube Attendant, MTB # 3047083
CATA (Lansing): Customer Information Representative, MTB # 3045853
Lansing Community College (Lansing): Moving Services Associate
- For this position, visit http://www.jobs.lcc.edu/ to apply
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