English doesn’t need to be protected. It needs to be allowed to evolve—before it fossilizes in a museum of its own contradictions.
The Traditional Rule:
Language should be preserved, protected, and policed to maintain clarity, tradition, and cultural heritage.
Why It’s Broken:
Because language, like any living system, either evolves or dies. The idea that English must be kept “pure” or “correct” is not only elitist and ahistorical—it’s self-defeating. Every rule that we now treat as sacred was once a mistake that became convention. Trying to stop change is like trying to outlaw gravity with a scroll and a wax seal.
English didn’t survive by staying still. It survived by morphing, borrowing, blending, and bending.
Absurdities and Contradictions:
Shakespeare coined over 1,700 new words—most of which broke existing rules.
“Thou” and “thee” were replaced by “you” and “your” despite howls of linguistic decline.
Once, “you” was only plural. Now it’s singular. And we invented “y’all” and “youse” to fix that.
“Ain’t” was standard… until it wasn’t. Then it was mocked. Now it’s hip again.
“Google” started as a noun, became a verb, then a lifestyle, then an adjective.
New words like “selfie,” “mansplain,” and “ghosting” spread across the globe in under a decade.
The point? Language wants to change. And the people using it will change it, no matter how many angry letters are written to newspapers.
Real-World Examples:
African-American Vernacular English (AAVE): Rich, rule-based, and endlessly creative—but dismissed as “incorrect” by mainstream grammar gatekeepers.
Social Media English: Abbreviated, emoji-enhanced, and layered with new syntax (“I can’t even,” “it’s giving...”)—widely understood despite zero “rules.”
Tech Slang: Words like “firewall,” “stream,” “cloud,” and “thread” took on new meanings fast. No dictionary committee approved them first.
Gen Z Innovation: “Based,” “mid,” “ratio,” “simp,” “delulu”... Whether we like it or not, they’re fluent, powerful expressions.
British vs. American Attitudes:
UK: Language is heritage. Maintain elegance. Quote the Oxford comma like scripture.
US: Language is utility. If it works, use it. If it spreads, it wins.
Both cultures eventually adopt what was once slang, error, or rebellion.
The Reform Proposal:
Embrace reform not as destruction, but as adaptation.
Teach history of usage evolution as a natural phenomenon—not a failure.
Allow real usage to guide education, software, and policy.
Prioritize clarity, accessibility, and joy over tradition and intimidation.
Institutionalize linguistic flexibility: official tolerance for change, not resistance.
How It Would Work in Practice:
Teachers wouldn’t deduct points for evolving usage if meaning is clear.
Dictionaries would focus on real-world usage over prescriptive norms.
Governments and publishers would support inclusive language that reflects the world.
Learners would be told: “Here’s what people say. Here’s what people used to say. Here’s why it changed.”
Final Word: Change or Die.
Language is not a temple. It’s a toolbox. It’s not a relic to be dusted and displayed—it’s a street market, a protest chant, a meme, a love letter, a WhatsApp typo that still made your mom laugh.
Reform isn’t rebellion. It’s recognition.
Recognition that the best way to honor English is to free it.
That the best way to preserve its beauty is to stop locking it in a glass case.
So let’s evolve. Let’s adapt. Let’s make English make sense.