Page 10 - ELG2505 May Issue 494

NEWS FEATURE .

Fr
From ancient sayings
om ancient sayings

to Gen Z slang
to Gen Z slang

Amy Lightfoot, academic director, English and School Education,
British Council and Mina Patel, head of research, Future of English,

British Council explore the hidden history in the way we speak.

nglish is a living, global Shakespeare – the British Council character energy” and “YOLO” in The Taming of the Shrew in the
language that reflects our has launched Phrase-ology, a new into the mainstream—but 1590s. He also invented entirely
shared human experiences collection tracing the evolution language innovation is nothing new expressions, such as “to wear
Eand continually evolves of 100 English idioms, from new. Shakespeare himself one’s heart on one’s sleeve,” first
across generations and cultures. Shakespearean inventions to the reworked and popularised sayings recorded in Othello in 1616.
You only need to consider the latest Gen Z slang. The research, that were already centuries old. Shakespeare didn’t just tell
phrases we use every day to see led by computational linguist Dr. Take “all that glisters is not gold,” stories—he helped shape how
this — expressions like “the Barbara McGillivray and Natural often attributed to The Merchant English speakers convey emotion,
straw that broke the camel’s Language Processing (NLP) of Venice, though its origins date relationships, and social dynamics.
back,” which comes from an old specialist Iacopo Ghinassi, analysed back to a Middle English phrase His inventive use of language
Arabic proverb, or “the moment millions of online documents to recorded in 1229: “Nis hit nower continues to resonate, inspiring
of truth,” originally a term from track the origins, usage and rise of neh gold al þet ter schineð.” the same spirit of expression seen
Spanish bullfighting. At the expressions like “breaking the ice” Many of the phrases we use in young people today.
same time, younger generations and “glow up”. The collection offers today were either coined or
continue to reinvent the a snapshot of how language develops popularised by Shakespeare. From spilling beans to
language, popularising slang such across cultures, generations, and “Break the ice,” for instance, spilling tea: the reinvention
as “let them cook,” used to freely digital spaces. is based on the Latin metaphor of phrases
let a person do something they scindere glaciem, revived by The reinvention of English
are good at, or “ate and left no Shakespearian reinventions: Erasmus to describe easing social expressions is especially visible in
crumbs,” meaning someone has from “Glisters” to “Glow-ups” tension—much like breaking how younger generations and pop
done something flawlessly. The digital age may have frozen waterways to allow boats culture rework familiar phrases.
To celebrate World English Day accelerated linguistic creativity— through. The phrase gained For example, do you “spill the
– marking the birthday of William bringing expressions like “main widespread use after appearing beans” or “spill the tea”? While
10 May 2025