Words of change

What we know as the English language today is actually evolved Anglo Saxon, an eclectic mix of various other languages such as Celtic, German, Dutch, French. As people travelled, they picked up words from other languages and added them to their vocabulary. As technology advanced, people came up with a whole bunch of new words to describe it. In fact, as new concepts were developed, new words for them  were coined as well.
 
As much as grammar and syntax is important, we know that change is constant in the English language. And like many other things that millennials have owned, they have left their mark on the English language too. We talk to a few of them and ask them about new words that everyone should include in their vocabulary.

The Environment
After decades of human beings exploiting the earth, the youngsters are now standing up for it. Started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, a ‘climate strike’ was held from September 20-27 across 150 countries during the United Nations Climate Summit which was held in New York. It was a worldwide protest to demand action for climate change. 

All this started with Thunberg skipping school to sit in protest outside the Riksdag (national legislature of Sweden) every day with a sign that said she was on school strike for the climate. The young girl was adamant to continue the strike till the Swedish government made efforts to reduce carbon emissions as per the Paris Agreement. This inspired students all over the world to organise and participate in climate strikes becoming a ‘youthquake’, which is a massive movement by young people. 

Dismayed by having to state the obvious, 18-year-old student Aarvi Rawal, says matter-of-factly, “Is it so hard to understand  the gravity of the situation we have put ourselves in? We have made a mess and we have to clean it up. Governments all over the world have to make decisions, industries have to make changes and in the meanwhile we as consumers, ordinary people, have to do everything we can for our own survival. If the planet dies, we die.” 

Pointing out the plastic ban in Maharashtra, adds with passion, “Who is following the ban? I see people selling the banned garbage bags on the street. We have to understand, this is a ‘climate emergency’. If it is more trouble not to use plastic, then we have to pay for it. Convenience has caused so much harm to the environment.” 

Be it the smog in Delhi or the wildfires in Australia, disasters across the world have damaged property, taken lives and affected the minds of people. “There has been a rapid rise in the distress that people feel because of these disasters caused by climate change, and this brought the need for a word to describe it — ‘solastalgia’. This has also been a reason for people to leave their native regions and migrate or seek shelter elsewhere, making them ‘climate refugees’ or to use a more politically correct term — ‘climate migrants’,” says she. 

Societal Norms
Millennials have single handedly shot down the largest number of societal norms than any other generation before them. With a tumbling economy, lack of jobs, and degrading environment, the youngsters have decided to control what they can. Hence the focus on concepts like inclusivity. 

“I think our generation is ‘woke’. Everyone is aware of issues, information is available and visible to you everywhere on social media. Everyone wants to participate in a movement, be a part of something bigger,” says 23-year-old IT professional Ajit Naagal. 

A big change in society brought on by this generation is gender acceptance. “Sex and gender are two different things, but we don’t learn that growing up. I learnt about sexual orientation from my peers,” says he.
 
But along with the meanings of all the letters in the abbreviation LGBTQ+, the society is also learning to accept relationship decisions like being ‘child-free’ and not childless, and being ‘self-partnered’ instead of single and difficult to mingle. The term ‘self partnered’ was used by Emma Watson, Hermione’s cover for the muggle world, to express that she’s happy to be single and spend time with herself. 

Basically, ‘throwing shade’ at people, meaning to disrespect or insult them, because they are different from you, or don’t fit into your spectrum of normal, is not a part of the millennial mindset.
 
“Millennials have also dismissed stereotypical ideologies of the older generation such as how ladies should keep themselves busy in the kitchen, how a woman’s only job is to look pretty and bear children, how emotional men are weak, and how being gay is a choice, with the catchphrase — okboomer,” says 30-year-old lawyer Soma Atarthi. “Some of my colleagues are in their 50s, and I understand that they have a different outlook because they have lived a different life. One day, they were arguing with me about how we young people get offended so easily and how there’s a politically correct term they need to use for everything nowadays. At the same time, they get so offended when it is pointed out that their ideas are regressive. We end up agreeing to disagree and though I don’t say it out loud, I go ‘okboomer’ in my head and don’t let their narrow worldview bother me,” she adds.

In Conversation 
Nalini Ruia, a 28-year-old graphic artist and singer says, “My relatives are getting very anxious that I’m not dating anyone. Everytime they bring up the topic, I’m like skrt!” ‘Skrt’, like the sound of a cartoon scooter coming to a sudden halt, is the contemporary term you can use to tell someone to zip it. But if they persist, she just goes with ‘Okurrr’ which is the more fun phonetic term rapper Cardi B has replaced ‘okay’ with. 

One might just take a moment here to have the epiphany that millennials really like rolling their ‘r’s in everyday conversation.  And just like they love cancelling plans, this generation is now ‘cancelling’ people too. “Because of the #MeToo movement, many famous and respected people were cancelled all over the world. In India, right from Nana Patekar, who was considered to be a respected actor, to comedians who were getting quite popular at that time, were cancelled,” says Sonali Khemka, 25-year-old fashion designer. It was a time for people to get vocal, and to say ‘Bye, Felicia’, the current term for good riddance to everything toxic —be it jobs or relationships. 

There’s no denying millennials’ love for nostalgia. Not letting go of their childhood is something that they struggle with, hence the term adulting came into play. “Having to do adult-things like paying utility bills, taxes or even learning how to cook and packing your tiffin for work is adulting,” says Ruia. 

But things that millennials are good at is always staying ‘on fleek’ for Instagram, by putting together a perfectly glamorous look, even if it is by deceit, so their followers can let them know that they’re a ‘snacc’ (because they’re so cute, you’ll want to gobble them right up).