HOW WORDS GET TO BE WORDS ... THEY JUST DO!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXPERT

MEDIEVAL SCHOLARS

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Here are some words that have entered our English Language in recent years in alphabetical order:  affluenza; App; bashtag; bitcoin; Brexit; captcha; chillax; cyberbully; daycation; dench; emoji; E-stalk; flash mob; frenemy; guesstimate; hashtag; hater; ICE number; It Girl; jeggings; landline; me time; meme; netizen; newbie; outernet; oversharing; photobomb; podcast; quintastic; road rage; robocall; selfie; smart watch; snail mail; textspeak; trolling; unfollow; unfriend; vaping; viral marketing; webinar; wiki; Zumba...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... I ain't even that old and I don't know what half that s**t means!


"BLUE" JIMMY:  Yes, you will be in the dark if you don't know these words and terms which are now a permanent part of our American English lexicon ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  So how do these words get to be words in the most influential language on Planet Earth?  I used to think that scholars from universities in English-speaking countries would get together in massive halls with ancient oak desks and create words and phrases using their particular expertise in the English language ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... Aw, Hell no!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  You'd be surprised to know that words in the English language actually become words according to how often they are used by large amounts of  English-speaking people.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  So if enough people started to use the word, ballscratcher, it would seriously end up in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary! 

"BLUE" JIMMY:  You'll find that much of our newest English vocabulary is due to the prevalence of computers, quickly developing computer technology and social media.  Other words and phrases are just due to the willingness of American English speakers to bend/break the rules and speak freely without regard to formal English ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ...Cheeky American bastards!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But you have to know the rules before you can break them and that is what this blog is all about ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... "Keep On Truckin'"  (there's one for you!) 

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com 

AMERICAN ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS ... WHAT A CONCEPT!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  MASTER OF ENGLISH

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Actual phone conversation you have had, " ... hello please this is ******* support may I thank you for your problem and please to tell me your PIN # and address for which you have thank you, please ..."

BLIND DOG OZZY:  WTF???

"BLUE" JIMMY:  My mission here is not to bash non-native English speakers (they're at least, trying) but to point out that many people in the United States, even in positions of importance, still struggle with the English language.  To the surprise of many people, English is not really the most widely spoken language in the world.  Mandarin Chinese and Spanish are statistically, more widely spoken due to the sheer size of populations in Chinese and Spanish - speaking countries.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Hola, nena!  Que bonita tu ...

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But most experts around the world agree that English is the lingua franca if you want to succeed in:  business/finance; law; medicine; science; education; diplomacy; journalism; internet; arts & entertainment and just want to look cool in front of your friends if you live in a foreign country.  Dr. Louis Turi, an astropsychologist and frequent guest on paranormal / New Age / occult radio shows, recalls in his autobiography, "Beyond The Secret" that when he was a dirt poor kid living in France, he and a friend would walk around the streets making "American sounds" to impress people even though they spoke no English.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  WTF are "American sounds?"  

"BLUE" JIMMY:  American English is complex, breaks its own rules of grammar and usage and still confuses the s**t out of people who were not born and raised in North America without regard to their level of education.  I recall having to correct college professors in their usage and pronunciation because like many non-native speakers, they had to translate everything in their native language to English in their head before actually speaking.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  That could seriously make you look like you came fresh off the boat!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  From what I have read, ESL (English as a second language) classes are in such demand that night schools, community centers, churches and other bastions of free learning are having to put people on long waiting lists to take classes.  Rather than strut around and feel superior for growing up in an English-speaking country, I offer this blog full of tips, tricks and humorous advice for speaking American English properly ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... We hope we don't f**k it all up!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

bluejames61@hotmail.com