I'm Good !

"How are you?"

"I'm good."

What kind of language is that? Someone asks you how you are — and you answer how good you are. How pretentious! Shouldn't you say : "I'm well" or "I'm fine"? Because, you may be well but not good and the other way around.

Americans have been betraying their own language for a while, thinking that speaking correct language didn't matter. It has brought America to the acme of civilization : "Hi ! Yeah ! Okay ! Y’know… like… I mean… Y’know !" Here is the report of an interview with young American musicians from a band: "It’s like, y’know, cool to be…like…the first on stage, and y’know we’re kinda like always on the move, y’know, like…’cause we believe like we’re lucky to have this opportunity, y’know, it’s real cool… " Obviously they have reached a peak in oral brilliance. A potency in expression the size of the nation !

If you add to that gems such as "He must have drank too much.", or "Thats what I want!", or "Its great to know that...", you understand why the French are — supposedly — trying to salvage whatever is left of their beloved language. "There’s a lot of people" instead of "There are…" certainly places the American language ahead of any kind of competitor in terms of speed and efficiency, in just the same way as one says "Problem is… Fact is… ". Why bother with articles? It's too tiring. Same thing with prepositions : "We’re talking politics." Instead of "We're talking about politics." And, to top it all, no verbs anymore! " You been long. You a doctor ?"

The pathetic use of current American English sounds like a sign of decadence. And even though being decadent is so chic, one should not forget that mistreating language is step One to the relinquishment of basic values. How could one expect to lead the world when "Globish" becomes the standard and when civilized English is set aside as an old rag? Perhaps Americans should turn off their computers and turn their eyes to books again. According to the latest statistics, Americans don't read anymore. Literature? Ugh!

Do you remember William Safire’s chronicles ? Its — oops! — It's about time the Language Maven stroke again! Otherwise language will become so poor that it will reflect negatively on the very image America wishes to convey.