Kid -"Mom, I think all school work should be fundamental."
Me (eyebrows raised)"What do you think that means?"
Kid - "It means fun and educational, you know, fundamental!"
Me (eybrows down but trying not to laugh)"No, that's not what it means. It means basic."
Kid - "No. It's a made-up word. You just put fun and educational together and get fundamental."
And the battle was on. My weapon - a dictionary, the kid's - a knowledge of the usage of the word when adults are trying to make learning fun. I won by a narrow margin. I could definitely see why there was a misunderstanding. The thing is, the groups that are using it aren't exactly using it incorrectly, but just in a way that could be easily misunderstood based on context.
Here are some examples:
http://www.myparentime.com/categories/fun.shtml
and, ironically, http://www.rif.org/
It made me wonder if this is how some words change in meaning over time.
Now, I use slang and jargon about as much as the next middle aged mom, which means most of what I use is 20 years old and out of date, but misusing something to the point that kids misunderstand the real meaning of the word is different. It's been done before, though - intentionally and unintentionally. I can think of some choice words that have changed meaning over the last 50-100 years or so. Some of these words have changed so much that a person's whole reputation could ride on how he or she uses them.
English is clearly an evolving language. That's why we need a translator to read Chaucer. Some of the more recent changes in definition make reading classics to the kids challenging and sometimes even embarrassing as I have to decide whether to use the word in the text and explain what it used to mean or change it as I go along.
I wonder how much words will change in the next 20-30 years. Maybe by the time our kids are grown there will be an additional definition for "fundamental." I know one kid who will make a case for it.
