On another board I frequent, one of the other contributors, a young woman in her early twenties hailing from Virginia, picked me up on my usage.

I had used "thoughtfully" to mean deep in thought, as in "Thoughtfully, he walked back to his room." She insisted that to people her age, thoughtfully could only mean considerately.

She also queried my use of the word "hubbub" for the noise in a crowded pub or bar, as in "She couldn't catch what they were saying over the general hubbub." She insisted that this word could not be used seriously but only for comedic effect.

I was wondering whether the board, particularly our younger members, agreed with her. Are we seeing the language changing before our very eyes, or is it a regional difference? Or is her particular idiolect out of step with the rest of the English-speaking world in these instances?

Bingley

Bingley