Re: CHAT: Profile of a Conlanger

>Sorry for the confusion: "gay" here doesn't mean homosexual, but stupid.
>It completely left my mind that many follk use "gay" for "homosexual".  It
>was a common expression in my youth, which was applied to nearly any
>person or situation we thought of as stupid.  ("Look at that old man
>driving that beat up green car -- that's so gay!") I have had not a little
>contact with younger kids around here, and this usage has continued.
>
>Padraic.
I don't mean to offend anyone by pursuing this, but I have a question.
This is an old usage? Exactly where are you from? That's a usage here in
Alabama too, but a fairly new one, and a semantic shift that I found
interesting when I noticed it.  Interesting because its shows a direct
correlation between the values and prejuices of a culture and the way
vocabulary changes. Hmmmm.

Jennifer Barefoot


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