English has come a long way since it first started to crop up as a language. Many words have been borrowed from pervious and concurrent languages in the beginning and still are to this day. English is an ever evolving language. Even now, new words and phrases are being adding to it. What will the English language look like in 500 years? We can look to the past and present for clues to how the language will evolve over that time.
The English language as it is known now will not exist in 500 years. The difference between English at the beginning of its usage and English in the modern day is astounding. It has come a very long way from how it used to be. This is due, in part, to the fact that English speakers are constantly adding new words and phrases.
These days, it is common to see people texting on their phones and chatting on social media sites. To decrease the amount of characters they have to type, many use abbreviations or acronyms. Abbreviations and acronyms make it faster and easier to share information. They have become very prevalent in modern society.
Acronyms like YOLO, which means “You Only Live Once”, have become so popular in writing that they have become commonly used while speaking. This form of speaking has become very popular among young people. In years to come, it would not be improbable if this acronym or acronyms like it became actual words.
This would not be the first time an acronym has become a word though. The word laser was an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The word Snafu was originally a military acronym for Situation Normal, All F***ked Up. These acronyms and many more have made their way into dictionaries and common language so it is not a stretch to assume that newer ones like YOLO would later become words in their own right.
Phrases are used every day as short hand for describing situations. A famous example would be the phrase “Drink the Kool-Aid”. This phase roughly means to go along with what another says in an almost mindless manner. This phrase is used in a negative way. It is a direct reference to the Jonestown Massacre. The massacre occurred when the leader of a cult instructed his followers to drink poisoned Flavor-Aid.
Phrases based off events are widespread in common language. In 500 years’ time, there will be plenty of new events to base phrases off of. These phrases will become popularized and used in everyday conversations between people.
In 500 years other cultures will be more closely assimilated. English has borrowed from languages in the past. In fact, English is almost completely made up of other, older languages. Words were cherry-picked and assimilated into the lexicon.
It is only logical to assume that countries with more people will have more and more influence on the English language as time goes on. One such country is China. The population of China is numbered in the billions. As it is the most populated, its words are the most likely to be integrated into the English lexicon.
The change will happen gradually over time. Chinese phrases and words will slowly be adopted into English speech. A few curse words will be uttered in Chinese. It may seem improbable but hints of this possible future have been cropping up in English speaking countries for quite a long time.
English speakers have always been fascinated with other countries and cultures. Many people get tattoos of Chinese and Japanese Symbols on their chests, arms and backs. T-shirts with Japanese phrases are worn by many. Animated cartoons from these Asian countries have many rabid English speaking fans. This acceptance of the language and culture is a trend that will grow in years to come.
Language isn’t the only thing that’s changing. People’s perception of gender is also slowly changing. Some people who were born physically male identify themselves as being female and some people who were born females identify themselves as being males. There are quite a few people that don’t identify themselves as either male or female.
There is now a need for more gender neutral pronouns. We have a good number of gender specific pronouns like “he” and “she” but not very many gender neutral ones. “They” used in the singular sense is sometimes utilized as a gender neutral pronoun but more pronouns are needed
Society has become more aware and sympathetic of these problems. In the future, more and more pronouns will be created and used to describe gender neutral people. This will be due to the fact that more and more people will identify as such.
In 500 years, The English language will be close to unrecognizable. Events will give birth to new phrases. Acronyms and abbreviations will become more generally accepted as words. More words from other languages will be interwoven into conversations. New pronouns will be created to fill the growing need for genderless descriptions. Based on the current state of the English language compared to how it used to be, these conclusions can be safely made about its future.