As time progresses, I find that catch phrases are much too prevalent with our generation. The phrases change with time. They’ve gone from ‘talk to the hand’ to ‘LOL’. I suppose most of this is due to the advancement of technology.
“When we look at language development, we find that we are social animals. Catch phrases simply express something that we can relate to and our feelings. Also, life usually imitates art. Art such as various television shows and advertising, influence the fads of the English language. We see these catch phrases on T.V. first, then they spread like infection,” said Marianna Di Paolo, linguistics professor at the University of Utah.
The phrase ‘yadayadayada’ came from the popular television series “Seinfeld” and spread like wildfire soon after the episode which contained the phrase, aired in 1997. Now we have phrases such as ‘that’s what she said’ from the sitcom, “The Office”. I wonder what new phrases will be thought of, that catch on as quickly as these two.
But it’s not just television shows that influence our quirky speech. Every culture has its idioms, they’re just more common because of the mass communication and mobility we have today. Texting capabilities have spread the use of phrases like, ‘w00t’, ‘LOL’, ‘BTW’, and ‘TTYL’. Not only are people using these phrases as text but many have begun to say the phrase ‘LOL’ as part of their everyday conversation.
“This must be stopped. It’s far too annoying and discourages from the practical use of language,” said English teacher Donna Hunter. “You can always tell if someone is literate or not. The way you present yourself first and foremost is by how well you speak.”
While I agree to a certain extent with Hunter, I would like to add that with catch phrases, there is a time and a place. With every catch phrase, there is a decade associated with it. In the sixties a popular one would have been ‘catch ya on the flip side’.
There is no rhyme or reason to phrases like, ‘you’re killing me’, ‘just sayin’, or ‘how you doin’. Where did these even originate? If taken literally many of these make no sense whatsoever.
I don’t know what ‘lingo’ my children will have adopted, but I sure hope that I’ll be able to communicate properly with them.