How Languages Learned to Share
Rea,
One of my favorite words is one you created - nervecited. You combined nervous and excited to create the perfect blend that captures a feeling no single word could express. What you did with those two words is exactly how languages have always evolved - by mixing and blending to create something new and useful. This same process is happening all around the world right now.
English itself started as a mix. When Germanic tribes settled in Britain around 500 CE, they brought words like “hallo” which became our “hello.” Later, when Romans influenced the region, Latin words like “computare” joined the language and became “computer.” We ended up with both Germanic “house” and Latin “mansion” meaning the same thing - a dwelling. When languages meet, they naturally borrow the best parts from each other.
Today, English mixes with other languages everywhere because over 1.5 billion people speak it worldwide. In Spanish-speaking communities, people created “parquear” (to park), “googlear” (to google), and “emailear” (to email). Since you speak Spanish, you might notice how natural these feel - they follow Spanish grammar rules but use English roots. New English tech words get “Spanish-ized” within months of appearing online.
When we go to India in December, you’ll hear this mixing everywhere. Indians created “Hinglish” by blending Hindi and English into practical combinations. They say “timepass” for hanging out, “prepone” as the opposite of postpone, and ask “good name?” instead of “what’s your name?” About 350 million Indians use Hinglish daily. Tamil speakers do the same thing, creating “Tanglish” by mixing English words into Tamil sentences.
But not everyone welcomes this mixing. France has 40 official language guardians called the Académie française who have protected French since 1635. They fight against “Franglais” by creating French alternatives: “weekend” should be “fin de semaine,” “computer” must be “ordinateur,” and “hashtag” became “mot-dièse.” They even invented “ordiphone” to replace “smartphone.” Yet French teenagers still say “c’est cool” and “le weekend” because these words work better in daily conversation.
The truth is that languages change faster than officials can control them. As we travel to different places, you’ll notice English words everywhere - in Scottish shops, Indian restaurants, French cafés. When people need to communicate quickly about new ideas, they use whatever words work best. Like your “nervecited,” the best language innovations come from real people solving real communication problems, not from official committees.
Languages are living things that grow through sharing, not rules. They flow together like rivers, creating something new and more useful than what existed before.
Love, Abba
P.S. Keep an ear out for mixed languages on our trips - I bet you’ll spot Hinglish in India and maybe even some Franglais in Scotland!
