In my first blog (I've written only 3!) I was still wondering where the word BLOG came from. Well, there is a very long answer which I could write about here, but the simplified truth is that it was originally WEB LOG. So, BLOG just leaves off the WE, moves the B over to join LOG, and Voila! BLOG!!! 

As I also said in that first blog, I have been observing American speech with great interest.  Some very strange (to my thinking) speech patterns have emerged during the last couple of decades - or longer.  I think much of that was due to a phenomenon called "Valley Girl Talk."  I thought the whole thing was a joke, and surely, surely their ridiculous, Jr. High-type language mannerisms would not last or have much influence on otherwise intelligent Americans.  Oddly, it seems that it is mostly girls - and grown women - who continue to talk this way, never realizing how juvenile it sounds to Word Snobs like myself, who value correct, non-trendy expression.  Groannnnnnnnn.  I sound so boring, so old fashioned!  But then, I am old, so that explains it.

But really!  Consider this......How often do you hear someone say "I go" when what they really mean is "I said."?    The sentence would go something like this:   "I was in Starbucks the other day and saw Joyce , and I go "Hi Joyce.  Where have you been?  Haven't seen you for ages."  Just how does one

go" Hi Joyce"?   Sometimes go is replaced by the equally-weird "I'm all..........."  or "I'm like................"  Do you see my problem?  I understand that it is my problem.  There are few people who ever notice this anomaly of speech.   And certainly those who talk like this are totally unaware of it.  I have close, very dear friends - grown women, whom I love - who say I go, I'm all and "I'm like".  It doesn't make me love them any less.  It just fascinates me, and I can't help wondering how it happened.    It's like a kind of caucasian ebonics.   This is just one of the strange things that has happened to American English during the last couple of decades.

I often encounter, during an average week, at least 2 or 3 new abbreviations.  We are using fewer and fewer words.  Texting has done a lot to promote this.  Why write out an entire word when you can just use one or two letters?  For at least a year, I worried about what LOL meant.  I'm still not absolutely sure whether it means Lots of luck (or love), or Laugh out Loud.  Does it mean one of those?  Or is there still something else it means?  Well, it's not a real problem to me because even when I do know what certain combinations of initials mean, I usually prefer to use actual words.  I don't want our language to be reduced to nothing but initials and contractions (like BLOG [WeB'LOG] )  And the contractions usually also leave out the apostrophe.  Example:  Were, when we mean We're.   They mean different things; One means the past tense of Are,(were),  the other means We Are. (We're). 

If there is anyone still reading, I am surprised.  I think that  most folks will probably have zero interest in my fascination with the deterioration of our language.  But I will keep my vigil anyway.  There is so much more!  This is enough for now.

Next time I write, I hope I have something to share that is helpful, or encouraging, of substance, or of some spiritual weight.  

Thanks for reading my rant.