The Language of Clothing

[Panache]

Having taught English and other subjects for just over 32 years, and having studied, read, and spoken, four other languages I consider myself a bit of a linguist. English, it would appear, morphs more quickly than most other languages, steals from them, redfines, and moves about.

An interesting couple of examples: first the change in meaning over the last century for the word "Gay". The Christmas carol was "Don we now, our gay apparel" with no reference whatever to sexual orientation. Similarly, when I was young, the word 'streak' referred to a smudge on a window. Then it became someone running naked through a sports event. It appears to once more be a smudge.

Don't be frustrated if words change their meaning. I could take you on a very complex theological dive into the meaning of some scriptural words and terms too. Not the subject matter of this forum. Change is just the way (to the horror of lawyers writing contracts and legislators writing laws) ...the way English works.

Father Bill,

I have described to elementary school students that English is a language that lurks in dark alleys and mugs other languages for vocabulary.

Cheers

Jamies