Upon returning to the States for annual vacations starting in the 2000s, I was occasionally appalled by what I perceived as improper usage.
Top of my list:
1. "I need to have you" or "You need to" as euphemisms for "I am hereby ordering you to..." Heard especially in the service sector.
I could swear that that construction had never been used before in that sense.
2. Speaking of "swearing": "I promise you that..." when actually "I solemnly affirm that" / "I swear that" is meant. Especially egregious when used to aver that one did not do something in the past: "I promise you that I didn't...", which is simply nonsensical ("to promise" always has a future sense).
I expect that people simply became increasingly averse to using the verb "to swear" because of its proximity to "to curse." Now, one almost never hears someone use it correctly. (And this I still count as an error rather than as merely a shift in usage.)
3. "As far as..." (in the sense of "to the extent that") used without the necessary terminal "is concerned" or at least "goes."
4. "Awesome" in the sense of "outstanding" - often used as a stand-alone expression of assent: "Do you want to go to the movies tonight?" "Awesome!" "Would you like another helping of soup?" "Awesome!"
I distinctly remember being frankly dumbfounded when a university professor described my sister as "awesome" - which, for me, had previously been reserved as a synonym for "awe-inspiring."
5. Incorrectly conjugating the verb "to lie" (in the sense of "to rest in a reclined position") and/or confusing it with the very distinct verb "to lay" (e.g., "to lay bricks").
6. The use of the construction "I'm good" in the sense of "No, thank you!"
"Would you like another portion?" "I'm good!"
O course, I won't bother pointing to gross shifts in the meanings of individual words, such as the displacement, by the word "partner," of "lawfully wedded spouse."
Anyone else here able to cite specific instances of shifts in usage since mid-century?
Regards,
Beatnik and hippie culture? “Like, wow...Far out, man!” and “Dig that crazy sound!”.
“I could swear that that construction had never been used before in that sense.“
It was t generally but it wasn’t unheard of. I recall it being used, probably mostly by southerners, to convey strong belief of dire consequences. I’ve had plenty of occasion to think about it because it grates on my ear the way it’s used today.
Yeah, I despise that “I’m good” crapola too. And all the other examples you gave.
Like, how are you handling it now? ;-D
It literally made me scream when I read your post and didn’t see my personal pet peeve on it. I literally threw up in my mouth a bit. When I hear this one it literally makes my head explode!!
In case anyone didn’t get it, I have an issue with the drift in our language use where the world “literally” seems to have taken on almost (literally) the exact opposite of its original meaning.
Something I’ve noticed recently (in the last month or two) is that when I enter a restaurant or a convenience store, the workers will say, “Welcome in”. Seems odd to me (why not just say, “Welcome”?), but it appears to be a new usage, at least around here.