Professor Pivot: Who can give me an example of an adjective which also has a noun form?
Ann: I heard the word “anodynity” recently. I always thought it was an adjective, anodyne, but someone used it as a noun.
Professor Pivot: Oh dear, the liberties taken with language these days.“Anodynity” as a noun, you say?
Ann: Isn’t language is meant to evolve?
Professor Pivot: There was a time when language adhered to strict rules and conventions.
Ann: Well, Shakespeare played with words and grammar. He invented new terms all the time.
Professor Pivot: He could bend the rules with poetic license. But today’s rampant word formation lacks such artistry.
Ann: I don’t know. Look at how “google” became a verb. It’s a natural progression. People are just finding new ways to express themselves.
Professor Pivot: The verbification of “google” is a prime example of modern linguistic decay. There’s a danger of losing richness and precision of traditional language.
___________
Voice-over
A subjective subject. Is it language change, or language decay? Undermining the professor’s argument is that any language was never an immaculate conception. Undermining the student’s view is that neologisms can be clumsy and imprecise.
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