What language is that?

One thing growing older teaches is that change is inevitable and that the language one grew up amongst is no exception to this change.

I’ve accepted that British, Australian and American spelling is now interchangeable and am amused by new words which spread with the speed of lightening thanks to the Internet.

I wince at changes in emphasis which make certain words clumsy on the lip or almost unrecognisable to an aging ear, but which become verbal favourites of news readers everywhere in spite of the guidance contained within the covers of reputable dictionaries.

I am annoyed by the fact that “un” is frequently replacing the “in” of words such as indefensible, indiscoverable and indiscernible.

However, this is not the end of our ability to murder the mother tongue.

This week’s example of written gymnastics at the expense of the English language is “disencouraged”.

Now one can disentangle, disembowel, disenchant, or even disestablish but one can only “discourage” if the writer wants to express disapproval of or dissuade rather than encourage.

Even Microsoft’s Word spelling check rejects “disencouraged”.