What Has The Younger Generation Done To Our Language? Take a Listen…

What Has The Younger Generation Done To Our Language? Take a Listen…

by | GENERATIONS, MIND DUMPING, PET PEEVES | 2 comments

What Language Are They Speaking?

Hey. I don’t want this to sound like a total bitch session, but I’ve got a major pet peeve, and I mean MAJOR. This slaughter of our language seriously makes me cringe – like nails on a chalkboard, duck my head and raise my shoulders around my ears kind of cringe.

Work with me for a minute. Do you mind? Say the word “button”. Say it out loud.

When you say the word, do you say it like “bu” and then press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, say “n”, and the “n” sound kind of comes out your nose? Your mouth makes two movements, right? Your mouth opens when your lips part, then when you push your tongue up your jaw moves.

The first sound is as if you were going to say butt, but you stop before you make the “t” sound. Then you quickly make the “n” sound as if you were going to say “nice”. Am I right?

I know. It sounds ridiculous to make this such a big deal, but for god’s sake. These words are being massacred. Please tell me it’s not just me that notices it.

“Button” is being said “bu-ann”. No “t”. Totally left out. Their mouth opens and says “bu” and doesn’t have to move again to slide in the “ann”. I don’t know if it’s laziness or if it’s some new slang valley girl thing that’s supposed to be cool right now. Except it’s not.

That’s the first version – there are two. Maybe one is lower valley version and the next is upper valley? Who knows.

The second version is an exaggerated, bouncy T sound. It’s like they’ve suddenly discovered the T, feel bad for having ignored it, and are overcompensating by emphasizing the hell out of it.

It’s being pronounced “but-ten”. It’s said like a 2-year-old just learning to speak. Or a pre-teen when they’re trying to be cutesy. Except these are adults speaking this way. I don’t get it, and I also don’t know why it bugs me so much, but it does. It hurts my ears.

Oh I know! I’ll record it so you can hear it. (To play the audio, click the triangle button on the far left).

“Button” – Pronounced Our Way.

“Button” – Both Versions Pronounced Their Way.

So there’s that. Is it being taught this way in school now? Are WE mispronouncing it? Whatever.

Uh-oh. Now They’re Getting Creative. The “T” Has Been Replaced.

In this new foreign language, there’s another circumstance where the “T” is being pronounced wonky. Well actually, it’s not being pronounced at all. It’s being replaced with an “h”.

Here’s an example.  The word “stretched” is being pronounced “schretched”. The sound “St” has become “Sch”.

This audio is me attempting to replicate it. My tongue doesn’t like it.

They schrike out.

They walk in a schrate line.

They don’t talk to schrangers.

I was doing a yoga video the other day and the cute little instructor was telling us to schretch and then relax. We schretched and relaxed 10 TIMES! Any idea how annoyed I was by the time we hit 10? I was anything but relaxed.

This is really “Important”. Listen Up!

And yet another word massacre. This time in the middle of a word. Again, apparently the “t” is too much of a bother, so it’s being dropped. The word “important” becomes “Impor-a”. It’s like there is a half-ass attempt made at saying the second half of the word but apparently it gets too hard, so they just let it drift off into nothing.

Seriously, that’s what it sounds like. Listen ↓

Are “t’s” that difficult to pronouce? Do they take too long? Have they been dismissed as unnecessary?

What the hell? I’ve noticed this mostly in girls of the Millennial generation (Born 1977-1995).

I was looking forward to watching a webinar of an extremely successful young person last week. We were barely 5 minutes into an hour presentation when we were told the next section would be very “impor-a”. Aaaagh! 55 more minutes of this? I wanted to hit mute and just read subtitles.

Now I know what you’re thinking, and I can’t believe I’ve taken up an entire post about this either. I admit that my ears pick up on a lot of things other people’s don’t. If you haven’t noticed this, perk your ears up when you’re listening to 20-something yr-old women speak. Not all do this, but a lot do.

Thank you for letting me vent. Comment below and p-l-e-a-s-e shed some light on this for me if you know what this new speak is all about. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, that must mean that at some point I’ve blown out my eardrums and my hearing is distorted. Tell me you’ve never noticed any of the above and I’ll go get them checked promptly.

Okay, your turn to vent. Tell me one of your pet peeves in the comment box below.

So until next time – Peace out, and hey, don’t be a schranger! (ugh)

Patti Huck image and signature

Save

What Has The Younger Generation Done to Our Language? | Women Over Fifty Network
Baby Boomers: 9 Reasons to Love Us. 9 To Blame on The Years We Grew Up In

Baby Boomers: 9 Reasons to Love Us. 9 To Blame on The Years We Grew Up In

by | BABY BOOMERS, GENERATIONS | 4 comments

Who Are Baby Boomers?

If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you are a member of the Baby Boomer generation.

Why Are We Called Baby Boomers?

Almost exactly nine months after World War II ended, more babies were born in 1946 than any year in American history. 3.4 million little “boomers” were born in 1946, 20 percent more than were born in 1945! Guess those boys were glad to be back home aye?

This elevated birthrate continued through the next 18 years until it finally tapered off in 1964. By the end of the year there were 76.4 million “baby boomers” in the United States. We made up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population.

By 2030, about one in five Americans will be older than 65. Because of our generation’s size, we have a significant impact on our nation’s economy and growth, but at the same time there is concern that our aging population will also place a strain on social welfare systems. (“Baby Boomers” History.com)

How Could a Typical Baby Boomer Be Described?

Is there really any “typical”? We are a diverse group, but this is a general collection of our beliefs and character traits.

+ We believe anything is possible.

+ We are extremely loyal to our children.

+ We are ambitious.

+ We are ethical and loyal.

+ We are willing to take on responsibility.

+ We are competent multi-taskers.

+ We work efficiently and have good communications skills.

+ We are willing to take risks and are driven.

+ We believe in equal rights and equal opportunities.

I feel that the below traits that a lot of us Boomers share, although not all desirable traits, were borne from the music and culture of our times. With so many of our generation in VietNam, fear ran rampant.

“Make Love Not War“, “Give Peace a Chance” became mantras. We experienced Woodstock, free love, drugs, love-ins, the hippie culture, flower children and music to express ourselves and find peace.

We developed a fierce determination to create happiness and find peace in whatever way worked for us. To become your own person without judgement was the norm of our times. We ran with it.

> We have a “spend now, worry later”, “buy now, pay later” attitude

> We are competitive.

> We challenge authority.We become judgemental when disagreed with.

> We don’t like conformity and rules – we challenge the status quo.

> We tend to be workaholics – we invented the 50-hr work week.

> We expect everyone else to be workaholics.

> We can be self-centered – personal growth is important to us.

> We’re not great with finances (see #1 above).

Where We Fit In the Current Generations

Generations Before and After Us

Born 1945 and Before

“Traditionalists” or “Silent Generation”

Baby Boomer

Born 1946 to 1964

“Baby Boomers”

Generation X

Born 1965 to 1976

“Generation X”

Millennials

Born 1977 to 1995

“Millennials” or “Gen X”

Centennials

Born 1996 and Later

“Centennials”, “iGen”, or “Gen Z”

Events That Shaped Us as a Generation

The events that transpire during our lifetime will naturally affect each of us in different ways. The Baby Boomers have had a lot to digest so far in our lives and whether it be subtly or drastically, these events will have an effect on how we look at life, raise our children, form our opions, and determine the lifestyle we will lead. Below are just a few.

1954 – McCarthy hearings begin
1955 – Rosa Parks refuses to move to the back of the bus
1957 – First nuclear power plant
1960 – Kennedy elected President
1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis
1963 – Martin Luther King leads march on Washington DC
1963 – President John Kennedy assassinated
1964 – Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed
1965 – United States sends ground troops to Vietnam
1966 – National Organization for Women founded
1967 – American Indian Movement Founded
1968 – Martin Luther King assassinated
1968 – Robert Kennedy assassinated
1969 – First moon landing
1970 – Kent State University Shootings

We’ve been described as restless.We are sometimes referred to as  the “Me Generation”. We were promised the American Dream growing up, and we’re still looking for it.

As with each generation before and after us, a lot has changed in our lifetimes. Some of it has been frightening, but most changes have been enlightening and exciting.

Personally speaking, computers and Google are two of the best discoveries that have happened in my lifetime! I can have an answer to my every question right at the tips of my fingers any time of the day or night.

As much as I embrace our new technological world, I always feel a little pang of loneliness when I think of my pretty little pink princess rotary phone with the party line. I loved that phone. It was the physical representation of my entry into my tumultuous teenage years. But shared memories of my childhood and teenage years from the late 50’s to the mid-70’s is for another day and another blog post.

As you read through the above summary of Baby Boomers, are there things that you’d like to add? I value any additional information or memories from your point of view. Please feel free to add them in the comment section below.

Until next time…Peace out.

Patti Huck image and signature

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Baby Boomers - The Restless Generation | Women Over Fifty Network
Inside The Mind of a Perfectionist – Part 1: 11 Personality Traits of Perfectionism.

Inside The Mind of a Perfectionist – Part 1: 11 Personality Traits of Perfectionism.

by | PERFECTIONISM, PERSONALITIES

Inside The Mind of a Perfectionist – Part 1: 11 Personality Traits of Perfectionism.

What is a Perfectionist?

What do you think of when you hear someone described as a perfectionist? That they do everything effortlessly and perfectly…umm, PERFECT. Right? I’d always thought that too. But there’s so much more to being a perfectionist. The “official” definition of a perfectionist is below.

Perfectionism, in psychology, is a personality trait characterized by a person’s striving for flawlessness and setting high performance standards, accompanied by critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others’ evaluations. Wikipedia

Save

Inside Mind of Perfectionist-Part 1

Ah Whadda Ya Know Anyway Wikipedia.

Yikes! I’ve been described as “picky”, “anal”, “a perfectionist” for most of my life, and I admit that I do like some things done a certain way. For example, when I decorate the Christmas tree, I sometimes need to arrange and then rearrange several times (okay…a ridiculous number of times) until my eyes finally give it the final approval. It’s a process. A long-ass tedious process.

But being referred to as a “perfectionist” by my friends and family is laughable to me, considering I’ve been the butt of several jokes over the years for my baking, crafting, and hairdo fails. Through my eyes, I am anything but a perfectionist.

But, agreed, it’s a little weird that I have to have the decorations spaced perfectly on the tree, and freak out a bit if there are two red balls hanging next to each other. It’s just a quirky little thing I picked up from my mom, I kept telling myself. I’m not like, ‘mental’ or anything. Geesh.

For years my kids and I made tree-trimming a fun family affair… until they figured out I’d stayed up after they’d gone to bed to re-arrange the entire tree. Gawd – Mother of the Year here. So it’s probably no big surprise to you that the tree-trimming in our house turned into a stressful solo event.

(Click the + in each blue box to see an explanation of the personality trait)

Trait #1. You have trouble relinquishing control.

You’ve been described as a “control freak”, or a “micro-manager”. You don’t trust others to do “it” correctly, so you rarely delegate. 

Am I Alone Here?

I’m pretty sure few women are as intense as I am. It seems after a certain age, women become more relaxed, less serious, spend more time with friends, grandkids…doing things they previously didn’t have time to do.

You’d think, right? Nope. Here I am spinning around on turbo-charge, obsessed with my business, writing blogs, starting more projects than I can keep up with, frantically trying to lose 20 lbs before a surprise invite to the lake comes, and speed reading three books simultaneously. As has been the case my entire life, I have an idea a minute, questions I need to find answers to, and chores to add to my to-do list like a playlist running on repeat in my brain.

I’m always frustrated that ‘this isn’t where I wanted to be at this point in my life’.

Trait #2: You are driven...sometimes to obsession.

You’re an overachiever.  You’re highly motivated. You expect a lot of yourself and can become depressed if you don’t achieve your goals. This can lead to anxiety, blocking of your creativity, and the inability to focus. 

I Have Too Many Ideas.

So may, in fact, that they overwhelm me to the point of rendering me paralyzed to carry any of them out. I’m afraid that if I pick just one and focus on it, it won’t be the right one.

I’m afraid that I won’t execute the one I picked correctly and will have wasted the time I put into that project when I should have chosen a different one that might have been more successful and had taken less work/time.

Multitasker? It’s my middle name. I’m typically working on more than one project at any given time. Ask me how many of them are finished.

Trait #3: You have difficulty making decisions.

You’re afraid you may make the wrong decision. Your self-confidence depends on the choices you make, what you accomplish and how others react to you.  

Welcome To My World (Last Sunday)

I need to made a list. I’m a huge list-maker. To-do lists, shopping lists, mind maps, editorial calendars (scheduled blog posts I’ll write). Getting things out of my head and on paper calms me. Lists let me see everything I need to do, and assure me I haven’t left out anything important.

I spend the next half hour making a list of things I need to get done this week. I spend another half hour turning my to-do list into a schedule, allotting sufficient time to complete each task, and remembering to schedule a bit of free time. My schedule feels well-rounded, efficient and productive. I’ve given myself specific goals I need to meet each day.

Although my schedule is full, I feel more in control , and I know that my mind will be clear when I go to bed knowing what needs to be done the next day. I clean off my desk and curl up with my crocheting and a movie. I go to bed around 2:30 a.m.

Trait #4: You need to be productive and never waste time.

You have an extreme devotion to work and productivity, even if it means giving up sleep or “me time”.  You’ve created “rules” that you follow (and everyone else should too).

If you aren’t being productive, you feel unaccomplished and uncomfortable. You never feel like you’re doing enough or getting enough done in a day. 

Ugh.

When Cee-Lo started singing”Crazy” to me at 6:30 a.m. I was dragging ass. With a cup of hot coffee and my mind full of fog, I shuffled to my desk and looked down at my color-coded schedule I had meticulously detailed the night before.

I had scheduled myself to write a blog today.  I’m not feeling the subject I was going to write about. I’m not familiar with it and don’t have enough information to get started. I need to research it more so I know what I’m talking about.

I wonder if anybody will really be interested in this blog anyway? I’m not in the mood to write it. In fact, I’m not in the mood to write anything.  I’m just not feeling creative today. Maybe I should take today to get more prepared and write the blog tomorrow.

Trait #5: You Procrastinate (getting started)

You wait for the perfect moment to start a project.  You put off starting until you’ve gathered more information, the right tools, but even then still have trouble pulling the trigger. You’re unsure if you should even do this project…maybe you won’t be good enough, maybe others will know more about it than you do and you’ll look stupid…maybe you’ll fail.

You  over prepare, over research, and compare yourself to others when starting a project. You feel you need to do more and do it better than those before you did.

I Feel Confused. Overwhelmed. Paralyzed.

I pour myself more coffee and pick up my phone.

Five text messages to answer. Two voicemails that need responses. I take another sip of coffee and open email. My house payment (that I’d totally blown off) needs to be paid by today. My email program quit working at some point overnight and the replies I’d sent are still sitting in my outbox. The webinar I’d enrolled in last week starts in 15 minutes with no replay. My domain needs to be updated.

..and the playlist loop begins…”I knew I should have gone to bed earlier.” “I knew I shouldn’t have relaxed last night” “Why do I keep staying up so late?” “Now my whole day is screwed up.” “I can’t believe I forgot about that webinar.” “I should have made the house payment last week.”

“Why didn’t  I notice those unsent emails? I need to pay more attention.”  “I’m going to be so off my schedule today.” “How am I going to get all this shit done and write that blog?”

Trait #6: You say "Should" a lot.

You have a constant mental list of things you should be doing. You place excessive demands on yourself.

You have demanding standards for yourself and others. You don’t allow yourself any mistakes. You get upset with yourself when making mistakes, especially if someone else sees them or calls you out.

How many of these traits did you have? Did I end up writing the blog? Will you have any of the remaining 5 traits?

Find out in Part 2. “Inside The Mind of a Perfectionist-Part 2: 11 Traits of Perfectionism. How Many Do You Have?“.  To make sure you don’t miss any of my upcoming posts, sign up for updates below!

Patti Huck image and signature
Inside the Mind of a Perfectionist - Part 1