Who created words?

[MikeNewYork]

"Kinda" is not standard English. You can choose to learn or you can argue. You can't do both.

 

[mawes12]

"Kinda" is not standard English. You can choose to learn or you can argue. You can't do both.

I don't understand because I'm trying to learn and nobody answered why it isn't fine.

 

[Tdol]

Are you saying 'kinda' isn't fine or 'kind of' isn't fine? and Why isn't it fine?

I said that some words are not OK in all contexts. Try putting kinda in a job application letter and seeing how many replies you get. It's widely used in things like chat and it is fine for that, where speed is important to get close to speech- and we do say things like gonna/kinda when speaking. It is a written reflection of speech sounds, so in many written contexts it doesn't work. Swearing can be fine down the pub with your friends, but that doesn't mean it is OK for a teacher to swear in a primary school classroom. Context matters- what works in one context may not work in another.

 

[mawes12]

Now I understand but I haven't worked yet and I think that's wrong to me. Thanks for the replies and I think emsr2d2 probably got a little mad about what I said in post 15 but thanks anyway and I said what I said in post 15 because I think Raymott made an unnecessary correction in this thread, https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/threads/229675-Because-or-reason?p=1176559#post1176559 but thanks again for that.

 

[mawes12]

That appears to have nothing to do with this thread at all.


(ps.Raymott rightly corrected an error.)

I know he corrected "will" good but I think he tried to correct "didn't" too and I think "didn't" is already correct and on post 15 I meant to say that if nobody alive created the first words some people shouldn't make unnecessary corrections to me but y'all can do what y'all want and again thanks for the helpful replies.

(P.S I wasn't saying that emsr2d2 got mad but I said she probably did and I said this because I don't want you to think I think you are mad.)

 

[emsr2d2]

If I'm reading your more recent posts correctly (and I'm not sure I am), you are saying that if people didn't create words (which they did) then we shouldn't be able to correct your English (which we can and which is why almost everyone is here). Is that correct?

 

[mawes12]

I think what I was trying to say is the first people who created grammar are the ones who should correct the writing but I think I was wrong for saying that except for people making unnecessary corrections. I'm sorry about that. This is another question now, you know how we know what some words mean, do you think if someone thinks the words, they are looking at, means something else than what it actually means, they can change the meaning? or to make it more simple, can someone change the meaning of a word?

The question might sound stupid but I just want to know what y'all think. Are my punctuation correct?

 

[MikeNewYork]

What I think is stupid is the idea that those who created language should be the only ones to correct English usage. Do you think anybody here is that old? An individual cannot change the meaning of a word. But many people using a word in a different way could change its meaning. That is how language works.

 

[mawes12]

What I think is stupid is the idea that those who created language should be the only ones to correct English usage. Do you think anybody here is that old? An individual cannot change the meaning of a word. But many people using a word in a different way could change its meaning. That is how language works.

I said I think I was wrong and I never said y'all are old but to me there is nothing wrong about being old. I think I meant that people might think we know what we're saying and I think words are like a codes or a pictures we got to know to understand the words we say. Do you understand?

 

[emsr2d2]

Do you understand?

No.

 

[mawes12]

No.

What don't you understand? and I fixed it to make it probably more understandable.

 

[MikeNewYork]

No, I don't understand.

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't understand your point(s) at all. We have explained that language has evolved from nothing to what we use today over thousands of years. No one person or one group of people "invented/created" words and even if they did, they are long dead and are in no position to correct your grammar. That is now the job of teachers and volunteers on websites like this one.

 

[mawes12]

I'm not saying you can't correct others and I said I was wrong for saying that. Right now I'm talking about how other people might not understand a word because some people make it more complicated by using a different and difficult words that probably has a simpler word. That's why I asked

can someone change the meaning of a word?

and said

I think I meant that people might think we know what we're saying and I think words are like a codes or a pictures we got to know to understand the words we say.

If you don't understand, then just forget what I said.

 

[Raymott]

I know he corrected "will" good but I think he tried to correct "didn't" too and I think "didn't" is already correct and on post 15 I meant to say that if nobody alive created the first words some people shouldn't make unnecessary corrections to me but y'all can do what y'all want and again thanks for the helpful replies.

I bolded "didn't", and corrected "would" by labelling it in red.
If you look at your own writing that I corrected, you'll find that it says "didn't". I didn't change it.
My point was that "didn't" goes with "would" - "If we didn't, we would ...", "If we don't, we will ..."
I won't bother correcting you unnecessarily again.

 

[mawes12]

I bolded "didn't", and corrected "would" by labelling it in red.
If you look at your own writing that I corrected, you'll find that it says "didn't". I didn't change it.
My point was that "didn't" goes with "would" - "If we didn't, we would ...", "If we don't, we will ..."
I won't bother correcting you unnecessarily again.

Sorry about what I said and I didn't understand why you did that but now I do. I do think unnecessary corrections are wrong though.

 

[emsr2d2]

In my opinion, we don't make unnecessary corrections. Some of them might seem unnecessary to learners but if we take the time to bother to make them, it's because we think they are necessary.
When something is unnatural, we'll suggest more natural alternatives. I don't consider those to be corrections if the original was grammatically correct but unnatural.

 

[m3zomo]

I believe there were only a few words when humanity started, and as long as human being increases, words increase! because of the importance of having new words, and btw it is still increasing!

 

[Skrej]

The above is true, but at the same time new words are being created, older words fall out of use.

I suspect they're created at a faster rater than they're forgotten, though.

 

[mawes12]

I think most words are being recreated and there are a lot of words for one picture/word/meaning. Don't you think?