The Evolution of Language – And Why We Need to Care

It’s fascinating to me how different generations, groups of people, subcultures, etc. use words and assign meaning to them. What means one thing to one person might mean something completely different to another group. And it’s really shocking at times how the meanings of words and phrases can change over time.

Take these examples:

• “Literally” – this used to refer to something that meant exactly what someone said, like they weren’t exaggerating at all. But it’s become a word used to add emphasis or effect to something else.

• “Bro” – This used to be shorthand for a brother. Today it’s used to refer to just about anyone. It can even be a term of endearment.

• “Goat” – In a sports context, this used to mean someone who made an error that cost their team bigtime. Today, it’s an acronym for “greatest of all time.”

• “Cringe” is used as an adjective today, not a verb.

• “Smash” used to mean breaking something into a bunch of pieces. Today it means eating food…or something else.

These are just a few examples. There are many, many more – especially as it pertains to the political landscape (I’m trying really, really hard not to go there, even though it’s super easy to illustrate this point), generational gaps, etc.

As professional communicators, we know that words matter. What we sometimes forget is that words mean different things to different people. They have meanings and connotations that we overlook, fail to comprehend or simply aren’t aware of. And when words are combined to make phrases or sentences, entirely new meanings can be created.

All of this is to say: we all need to exercise some caution as we practice our craft. When we create messages and brands for ourselves and our organizations, we have to be aware of the perspectives and experiences of the receivers of our messages. It’s possible that we might intend to communicate something one way – but that someone with a different background could assign a completely different meaning to our message. Don’t be that guy/gal who puts their foot in their mouth.