My wife and I both have high school class reunions scheduled this summer. In my case it will be a 50-year reunion. It got me thinking how much the language we use has changed since I graduated from high school half a century ago. The dictionaries we used in those days are totally obsolete now.
Take for instance:
- Chipotle. The dried, smoked, red jalapeno flavoring so popular in Mexican and Tex-Mex foods these days was brought here from central Mexico in recent years.
- The Internet. It wasn’t even a gleam in Al Gore’s eye in those days (he was only 9). Also information superhighway, online, Microsoft, World Wide Web, dot-com, Web site, desktop publishing and a lot of other terms relating to the use of computers to contact virtually anyone around the world.
- Cablinasian, Tiger Woods’ word for his racial derivation. African-American, which replaced black, which replaced Negro, which replaced colored. And I don’t think WASP had even been coined 50 years ago.
- Gay, which meant something entirely different in 1957. And gay marriage would have referred to the happiness and frivolity surrounding a wedding or its reception. And that’s as far as we’ll take that subject in this column.
- Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare supplement, Medicare Parts A, B, C and D.
- HDTV. Plasma TV. LED, LCD, DVD, DVR, VCR, compact disk (CD).
- iPod. Xbox. eBay. Global positioning system (GPS).
- Cell phones. Text messaging. They had the bare beginnings of car phones 50 years ago, but what they have now is something out of the Dick Tracy comic strip.
- Keyboard. Half a century ago that would have referred solely to something on a standard piano or organ.
- At this point in time. Even more recent: As we speak.
- Cholesterol. I wonder if even doctors used the word in 1957? And triglycerides, polyunsaturates, monounsaturates, trans fats and saturated fatty acids. Statins. Prozac.
- Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Ebola virus. Attention deficit disorder (ADD). Alzheimer’s (50 years ago it was still lumped with other senile dementia).
- Electronic ignition. Fuel injection, which was used only in race cars 50 years ago. Air bags. Antilock brakes. Unleaded gasoline. E-85. Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Nissan, etc.
- Speaking of Al Gore, global warming. Fifty years ago the worry was nuclear winter.
- Watergate. Monica Lewinsky. Iran-Contra. Stagflation. Hanging chad.
- Microwave ovens. Cappuccino. Mocha latte. Starbuck’s.
- Automatic teller machines (ATMs). Magnetic credit and debit cards. Online banking.
- Recycling.
- Identity theft and other crimes fostered by the Internet.
- Laser surgery, tummy tucks, radial keratotomy and Lasik eye surgery (hard contacts were state of the art in 1957). Cochlear implants. Heart, lung and liver transplants. Knee and hip replacements. Pacemakers. Defibrillators.
By the time this column goes into print we may well see half a dozen new words or expressions relating to the breakneck speed with which we are living and inventing these days. After all, 50 years ago, who would ever have thought I could write a weekly column in the comfort of my home without using a typewriter, or even a pen or pencil, and send it to this newspaper’s office without ever moving from my chair? And get paid for it without having to go to the office or even to the bank? Or that you could comment on it without even having to write a letter?
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
Community
JIM BAILEY: New words
- Community
-
-
Home a needed retreat
Turning tragedy into triumph, Jim and Jane Coyle threw themselves into the project of building a new home after the death of their college-aged son.
-
'A day in their paws'
For Amy Swinford, staying in a concrete dog kennel with barred doors for 24 hours will certainly be challenging. But the Madison County Humane Society board member said the overnight stay was a tiny sacrifice in light of the situation that dogs and cats are facing.
-
Area churches schedule Lenten breakfast series
The Anderson Area Christian Men’s Lenten Breakfast Series Committee recently announced the schedule of Lenten breakfasts for this year.
-
Verna Davis: Jesus' love deserving, and it's not too late to send a Valentine
This year I wish I had sent God a Valentine. I wish I had told that I love him more now than ever. I wish I had remembered to thank him for first loving me.
-
Community Briefs: Feb. 11
A compilation of community news items as published in the Saturday edition of the Herald Bulletin.
-
Church News: Feb. 11
The following are brief Church News items of local interest.
-
After-hours party joins night of romance at ASO concert
The Anderson Symphony Orchestra is hosting more than a night of romance on Feb. 11. It’s throwing an after-hours party with desserts, coffee and a cash bar.
-
Live music: Feb. 10
The following listings for live music are published in Friday's edition of the Herald Bulletin.
-
Weekend Calendar: Feb. 10
Entertainment activities at area venues for Feb. 10-11.
-
Search for history on Mars
Greg McCauley will discuss a Mars mission at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Pendleton Public Library, 595 E. Water St. The 45-minute talk featuring multimedia is free and open to the public.
- More Community Headlines
-
