the classics

I finished reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte last week. What a great book. I actually started reading it at the beginning of the year, but stopped because there were too many difficult words hehe. After picking it up again a few weeks ago, I knocked back the whole book in a few weeks! It was such a good read and though the hard words and the occasional French made it difficult at times, the plot was interesting enough to keep me hooked.

As I read the book, I couldn't help but realise how our language has deteriorated over time. The verbal sparring between Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester is just something that is not really seen (or rather heard) these days. I'm totally guilty of this. My lazy-talk is so habitual that I don't even realise it. I thought I'd try to make a list of lazy-talk words and try to replace them with proper English.

totally = very much so
dude! = Oh dear, how alarming / interesting / fantastic!
kinda = almost as if
sif bro = I find that quite difficult to fathom
you suck = you offend me very much
I'm so dead = I believe I will be in a significant amount of danger
my stuff = my personal belongings
I'm so broke = I am in want of sufficient finances
what the? = that is really quite peculiar..
lol = hahahah you have been esteemed with a wonderful sense of humour
ummm = please allow me a moment to collect my thoughts
gross = that's rather horrid
nup = no thankyou, maybe next time
dunno hey = my apologies, I am unable to confirm your query at this time

Though it's more efficient, lazy-talk just makes me think we're getting stupider as the generations tick over. Just sitting on the bus with some high school students behind me all I could hear was 'like, she just like needs to get over it and stuff' with the f-bomb and the OMG-bomb sprinkled in between.

I think I will try to keep up the reading habit for the sake of preserving at least my own English. If at the very least I learn some new words and expand my vocabulary beyond my default of lazy-talk, I will be happy.