OUR SHRINKING VOCABULARY

[Terry]

OUR SHRINKING VOCABULARY

Just before I left for my recent trip Manfred posted a rather provocative suggestion stating that our poems (shock horror were boring), something I recently heard tends to back up his argument.
I turned on the radio one day and a woman (Professor I think) was talking about our shrinking vocabulary, apparently it has been steadily shrinking over many years, she did mention percentages but I can’t remember what they were.
It seems we are reverting to a very basic form of English and sadly losing all those lovely descriptive words that the top poets of yesteryear put to such good use.
As the Professor stated, English can be such a beautiful language, what a pity it’s slipping into such a rapid decline.

Cheers Terry

[Stephen Whiteside]

It's distonkingly distipulating to hear that our vocabulary is ewibbilating. If I could cogificate some innoventual letter combiculations I ewinkularly would. Alas, however, I fear it is way beyond my capabotulitibbary. I'll just have to finicular the mibbiripteration. Bother!

[Terry]

I couldn't have put it better myself Stephen.

Cheers Terry

[Bob Pacey]

Wot r u talkin bout ??



Bob

[Terry]

I can see you blokes are part of the problem.

Cheers Terry

[Zondrae]

good morning all,

May I suggest, at the risk of being pilloried, that current writers tend to use current language. I have often written something and then gone over it and changed some of the words, for fear of being misunderstood. Even the use of punctuation varies from generation to generation. We have many examples of how the meaning of simple, everyday words change so quickly. (eg 'gay') If we were to revert to words that the current generation were not familiar with, would we be totally misunderstood. This leads me to the point of - do I wish to be understood? Or am I content to let the reader (if there are any) decide for themselves, what I am on about. (... and can this be the illusive difference between well written verse and rubbish.)

Or should we consider ourselves 'artists', write as we will, and damn the world of English speakers!

[manfredvijars]

Australian Bush Poets are really the "Keepers of the Culture". We write (and recite) all things - current, historical, serious and hysterical. We have a rich language pallette to draw from and we can use whatever we damn well please. We can (and do) use words in their appropriate connotation (happy, blythe and gay), and we can also have fun by bastardising some words

In Vic's thread about R. Service who preferred to use the venacular of the day - just like C.J.. In so doing, Service (AND our own) left a wonderful legacy. Some of our Bush Poets already 'hob-nob' with society's literati - just shows how well rounded they are, and their pieces speak volumes.

[Heather]

I love to use my Thesaurus to find betterer and betterer words! That to me is half the fun of writing - finding the ideal words.

[manfredvijars]

TRANSLATION ...

Forsooth you blaggards = Bugger me dead

dost thou not see = what's wrong with youse bastards

that the language changeth and that we no longer converse in ye olde ways . = get over it

Stop over thinking it pull ya finger out

and write some bloody poetry = and write some bloody poetry

[Stephen Whiteside]

Whenever I see Zachary I think LOST...IN...SPACE...!