What has posed this question is a recent reflection on my Facebook page and the number of ‘friends’ I have. As those who know me are aware I’m a bit of a technology nut, love my computers apps and programs along with all the things they can do for me. But has all this increased my number of REAL friends?  In reality I don’t think so as looking at the 200 odd people who appear on my Facebook list there are many I would class as close acquaintances rather than friends.

But has the meaning of the word friend changed as have many others. Is a friend more of a casual acquaintance now rather than having those aforementioned characteristics of trust etc?

The great Australian word, mate, means a lot to me and I think it still carries some meaning, perhaps not as much as days of yore when the traditions of ‘mateship’ were perhaps more meaningful. Mate is another word that may have changed its meaning, although as someone recently said to me “mate is used by blokes when the can't remember someone's name.

By the way, how long is it since you have heard someone called ‘cobber’?  Love that word. Guys is another word that seems to have taken on a non gender role with both women and men being referred to as guys. Guy has English origins by he way, not American.

By now you would have gathered that I love language, its etymology and the way it is used. Indeed we have recorded many examples of Australian regional language (yes, it does exist) and words for the National Library over the past 30 years.

I note how words like hero, legend, and to my particular annoyance celebrity have lessened in meaning.

Time for a rant … What makes someone who has scored well in local sport a hero or legend and can someone PLEASE tell me what or who a celebrity is ?

Now I am going to go in to uncharted waters here and hope not to offend the delicate eyes and mind of the reader of this column. What about words that shock and offend?

My question is, are we running out of ‘rude’ words that shock. The two that were on top of the shockometer seem to have lost their impact. It is commonplace these days to overhear these short sharp words not only from young blokes but from girls and older people as well. 

The interesting part is that over the earlier generations of people we have recorded for our Oral History collection racist and sexist (against women) songs and jokes were rife and considered the norm of the day. However you would never hear a short sharp offensive word. Now racism and sexism shock and offend whereas strong language is common.

I will have to bloomin’ well have a think about all of this.