The English language serves as an ever-changing landscape where new words, abbreviations and expressions crop up on a yearly basis. In fact, Oxford adds approximately 1,000 new entries to the dictionary every year. Some new words like “froyo,” which is a synthesis of the words “frozen yogurt” are quite useful. “Froyo” saves you 50 percent of the syllables it took you to say the original two words, giving you more time to concentrate on deciding what flavor to order, while still maintaining a close resemblance to the etymology.
On the other hand, there are new words that are actually old words with new meanings, often leading to confusion. This is because they are used in completely unrelated contexts and have no bearing on the more commonly known usage. For example, “troll.” Now, I remember trolls when they were these unassuming, pot-bellied, plastic figures with dark beady eyes and a mop of hair that stood straight up in a triangular formation. The new meaning of troll is completely different. It means “to harass, criticize, or antagonize someone, especially by disparaging or mocking public statements.” There are of course other definitions of troll. (Look them up yourself, just as your English teacher taught you.) But either way, this new definition has gained ground and is becoming an acceptable household word.
Texting is another area where we see evidence of how malleable language is. Basically, texting is equivalent to putting the English language on a diet. Now, for those of you who have children living in your household, you have a huge advantage when it comes to figuring out these abbreviations. However, if this is not the case, there is something called a texting dictionary. Unfortunately, when you google it, you get a message that says, “Srsly, go ask ur chldrn.” Just kidding. The website does give you a list of abbreviations that will help you navigate those 26 letters that used to be your friends. It will also offer suggestions as to how to butcher the English language in ways you never thought possible.
We all know that expressions also change as time marches on. For teenagers and young adults, what used to be “groovy” has metamorphosed countless times changing to “cool,” “far-out,” “fresh,” “sweet,” “awesome,” and the more current “dope” or “lit.” Sometimes the slang term used to express this sentiment actually uses an antonym. For example, the word “bad” or “sick” can be used as a slang word to denote “good” or “great.” So, in addition to giving teenagers a chance to corner the market on these types of expressions, they also confuse adults on a global level. Regardless of this added benefit, language, which is constantly evolving, not only reflects the changes in society but also gives insight into our collective psyche. Let me explain.
There is a morpheme consisting of three letters that has seeped into our national lexicon. Interestingly, it does not qualify as a word, abbreviation, or even an expression. Depending on its usage, it could possibly be termed a suffix. Under certain circumstances, however, it can stand alone. These three letters can carry a tremendous amount of attitude but are bereft of information. They are used to express doubt, indecision, and ambiguity while still giving the impression that they are answering the question. They are the infamous “ish.”
Generally speaking, “ish” gets added to a word to indicate an “in-between” response, basically telling us nothing. For example, the following responses are fairly common when asking children about their day.
Mother: “How was your trip?”
Child: “It was fun-ish.”
Mother: “Was it too cold?”
Child: “It was cold-ish.”
Mother: “Were the other children older than you?”
Childish: “They were old-ish.”
Mother: “Next time we’ll try to find something more child-ish – or is that less child-ish?”
Child: “Why are you being so weird?
Lest you think “ish” is reserved for children, I have heard many an adult use it as well. In fact, the first time I heard it used as a stand-alone response was when I was attending a professional development seminar. One of the members of the audience asked the presenter a question. After the presenter completed her explanation, she added, “Is that clear now?” The lone response was “ish.” Believe it or not, this was a seminar for educators. I have to say, I was a little taken aback.
Now, although “ish” serves its purpose, there are certain instances where “ish” is already present in the word. In some cases, the original “ish” actually runs counter to the new “ish” ending. For example, the original meaning of “childish” means “extremely child-like.” This is compared to the new usage in “child-ish” which means “kinda, sorta child-like.” This can create confusion when you yell at your children telling them to stop acting so childish. However, I’m sure context cues will help clarify the situation.
To confuse things even more, “ish” also appears, not as an ending, but rather in the body of the word. Examples of these are “fish,” “squish,” “dish” or “wish.” (I’m beginning to think Dr. Seuss is going to show up any minute.) In all seriousness, though, these words exempt themselves from any additional or alternate usage of “ish.” However, they do give us insight into its predecessor and sometimes necessary alternative, the letter “y” – as in “fishy” or squishy.” It’s clear that “y” can’t be used in all these situations, but at least it picks of some of the slack. If all this isn’t bad enough, however, there’s the word “wishy-washy,” which incorporates both the “ish” and the “y.” Talk about covering all bases.
Before you consider yourself superior to those of us who have succumbed to using “ish,” think back to the last time you had to fill out a survey that asked you to rate a product from 1 to 5, or when you were at the doctor and they ask you to rate your level of pain. They show you the faces that go from representing happiness to agonizing pain, and you only have use of the integers 1 to 10. How many times have you thought, “Well, it could be a 4, but maybe it’s more like a 5. I’m not really sure, I think I’ll go with 4.73.” Just so you know, that’s “ish” in disguise – you know, hedging your bets, not really taking a chance, pretending that you’re answering the question when you’re really avoiding it.
Another common usage of “ish” crops up when someone asks you how long it will be until you pick them up. I used to say five minutes until I realized that was too short of an estimate. Then I switched to ten minutes, but that was too long. (Goldilocks will also be appearing soon.) Just as I was about to compromise with 7.5 minutes, “ish” came into my life. The beauty of it is that, regardless of what I say, I’ll never be early or late. Instead, I’ll always be right on time-ish.
So, whether or not you’re convinced that “ish” is for you, it can’t hurt to try. After all you just might find that it’s useful-ish. As we all know, when it comes to uncertainty, it’s always helpful to make a commitment.
