Changes in language

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was talking with my sisters recently about how we are raising our children in a completely different world than the one we grew up in. We arethe first (and only) generation of parents to straddle a life experience both with and without the internet and countless technology marvels. Our generation being the last with a low tech childhood and among the first of the truly high tech parents. Important to keep in mind when we help mold young minds daily- their reality is completely different than what most of us knew growing up.

So we were coming up with words/phrases that had little to no meaning just 15 year ago that are now commonplace. Please feel free to add any others you can think of!

Wi-fi hotspot

Going viral

Podcast

Tweet

Smart phone

Obamacare

KKCO

Selfie

FaceTime

Rear view camera

There's an app for that

Trending

Hash tag

ISIS

Autocorrect

Nine-eleven

Millennial

Linked in

Streaming

Paleo

Widespread use of text speak (LOL, BRB, OMG)

Follow me on [social media outlet]

Oh, please BMW, Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, Subaru, etc... still make and sell station wagons. Let's not get ridiculous.

I think when people hear "station wagon" the mental image it brings up is really outdated.

When I hear station wagon, I don't picture this:

I picture this:

And I hear "Holiday Road" :up:

There are also words that drop out of a language, unfamiliar to a younger generation. My kids once asked me what an "ashtray" was. I grew up when every house had one around, even if the family didn't smoke.

My SO house shares a common patio, on the table is one of those bronzed toddler shoes, as part of an ashtray. It is the oddest thing for me to see even though it's from my generation, as in something my parents' generation would have had. The owners are foreign born and must not hold the same reaction, I can't imagine keeping something like that out there so casually.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Hehe, I liked Big Band before it became a fad w/ swing dancing in the late 1990s :D

I'm still baffled when I watch old movies and characters say their phone number is something like "Murry Hill 255". What the heck was that​ all about? Why did phone numbers have words in them?
Specializes in School nursing.

I was having a conversation with one of my high school students (I'm a school nurse) the other day and they were telling me about wanting to talk to a person they had a crush on. I started to ask about calling this person/getting a phone number, but the student brushed me off, saying "why would I call? I can just friend her on facebook."

I was having a conversation with one of my high school students (I'm a school nurse) the other day and they were telling me about wanting to talk to a person they had a crush on. I started to ask about calling this person/getting a phone number, but the student brushed me off, saying "why would I call? I can just friend her on facebook."

I saw a picture on FB or something recently that said something like "This generation will never know the horror of calling your crush's house and having his/her mom answer the phone"

Specializes in Oncology.

I have to agree. Its a totally different era. Internet was not a necessity. We used to actually go outside and play rather than stay glued to a smart phone or tablet. From us having to actually work to find answers rather than punch in a GOOGLE search. There are some advantages and disadvantages. But its the circle of life, everything comes back around eventually.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Anyone remember party lines?

I think when people hear "station wagon" the mental image it brings up is really outdated.

When I hear station wagon, I don't picture this:

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I picture this:

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And I hear "Holiday Road" :up:

Exactly!

The "new" station wagons have morphed into some sort of hybrid SUV's. When I said station wagon, I was referring to "old school" station wagons.

And I haven't heard a vehicle referred to as a station wagon in a looong time :)

Speaking of kids nowadays googling information they need, I remember having to learn how to use the school library's card catalog....those really long drawers that pulled out :D

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Speaking of kids nowadays googling information they need, I remember having to learn how to use the school library's card catalog....those really long drawers that pulled out :D
Dewy Decimal system

card_catalog21.jpg

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
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