Just had an email from Jamie who hates the word random and is:
'optimistic we can erase this horror from the language'
I hate to add a hint of pessimism, Jamie, but I'm sure there were people who thought they could erase all of these too:
- using hopefully in utterances like: Hopefully, England will do well in this World Cup
- Asking negative questions by saying things like: Didn't you go home last night? rather than: Went you not home last night?
- Pronouncing Wales and whales identically
- Not pronouncing the /r/ in words like card and player
The usage Jamie hates is absolutely rampant in North London at the moment and is becoming ever more common in the language of adults, but my guess is that it will be quite dated soon and have the feel of words like groovy. Or, as Alicia Silverstone's character in Clueless might put it, it will be 'SO five minutes ago'
B-)