Friending, trending, messaging: You’ve been verbed
Mothers and fathers used to bring up children: now they parent. Critics used to review plays: now they critique them. Athletes podium, executives flipchart, and almost everybody Googles. Watch out—you’ve been verbed.
The English language is in a constant state of flux. New words are formed and old ones fall into disuse. But no trend has been more obtrusive in recent years than the changing of nouns into verbs. “Trend” itself (now used as a verb meaning “change or develop in a general direction”, as in “unemployment has been trending upwards”) is further evidence of—sorry, evidences—this phenomenon…
New technology is fertile ground, partly because it is constantly seeking names for things which did not previously exist: we “text” from our mobiles, “bookmark” websites, “inbox” our e-mail contacts and “friend” our acquaintances on Facebook —only, in some cases, to “defriend” them later. “Blog” had scarcely arrived as a noun before it was adopted as a verb, first intransitive and then transitive (an American friend boasts that he “blogged hand-wringers” about a subject that upset him). Conversely, verbs such as “twitter” and “tweet” have been transformed into nouns—though this process is far less common.
Sport is another ready source. “Rollerblade”, “skateboard”, “snowboard” and “zorb” have all graduated from names of equipment to actual activities. Football referees used to book players, or send them off: now they “card” them. Racing drivers “pit”, golfers “par” and coastal divers “tombstone”.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 5th, 2016 at 04:27
This may be no better forum than any: is it just me or has it been grating that the use of the word “impact” has been preferred by people over the word “affect”?
September 5th, 2016 at 08:29
volume-addict: I suspect as much, as “impact” sounds more dramatic than “affect”. Personally I find “impacted” distressing because it makes me think of a dental condition.
September 5th, 2016 at 11:01
I’ve recently noticed the rise in popularity of the word ‘curate’. I used to think one needed expert knowledge in art history or a specific artist or museum management to be called a curator. But now, apparently, one can curate clothes, information, food, anything really. At the rate this word is so loosely used, one can be a curator of one’s personal clutter.
https://www.1843magazine.com/content/ideas/anthony-gardner/all-curators-now
September 5th, 2016 at 12:37
avignon: Imagine my surprise when I learned that instead of an editor a magazine had a curator. My manuscript suddenly seemed like a slab of cuneiform.
September 7th, 2016 at 08:15
Haha. I would have thought editor has more cachet than curator. In my mind an editor actually edits, whereas a curator gathers and selects appropriate write-ups and other material. But I guess now those lines have blurred and actually merged.
September 7th, 2016 at 08:18
Correction: I would have thought that in the context of a magazine, editor has more cachet than curator.
September 9th, 2016 at 08:23
How about the term “brand ambassador” being used now? What is wrong with endorser or model? Did the celebrity/athlete/individual use diplomatic skills to get the endorsement contract from companies? Will they protect citizens, support prosperity, and work for peace while under the said contract?
September 9th, 2016 at 10:42
butoygirl: It makes the person sound like he’s doing something important rather than just flogging merchandise for money. Like sanitation engineer=garbage collector, though garbage collectors are of greater use to society.