lexicon
The language switch
Deepti

‘Outernet’ is used for online networks that are not part of the internet, ‘splinternet’ refers to the splintering of the internet into multiple segments, streams, or classes based on factors like cost, speed, platform, or political motivation, ‘darknet’ is the collection of networks and other technologies that enable people to illegally share copyrighted digital files with little or no fear of detection and the word ‘ever net’ is used for internet access that is instantly and always available from a number of different devices. So, those who think internet is the last frontier, should think again.

If you want your child to use English fluently, keep an eye on what is covered in the classroom. Make sure that the child can fluently use the words and sentences learnt in class. Incorporate these items into your daily interaction at home and constantly switch languages. The best users of any language come from homes where two or three languages are used effortlessly. By following these two practices, you can ensure that the items learnt in school become a part of your child’s repertoire and the child doesn’t develop anxiety on using a particular language anytime in life.

The slang ‘cool’ that meant ‘in vogue’ or ‘with it’ has created a complete range of connotation for itself. Most of the ways of using ‘cool’ emerge from slang in US English. Around the period of the World Wars, ‘cool’ came to be used in the sense of ‘kill’ as in ‘He was cooled by the enemy’. ‘Cool it’ is a request to calm down and ‘keeping one’s cool’ refers to the composure of a listener in the face of provocation. Originally, ‘cool’ comes from jazz where it means ‘marvellous and fashionable.’

Many times words are related in origin, pronounced the same way and, as a result, even when they have different meaning they are confused by users. ‘Discreet’ and ‘discrete’ are two such words. The former can refer to a person or an action and means ‘careful to avoid giving offence or betraying a confidence’. Whereas the latter word means ‘separate or distinct’.