Communication is integral to our society and our individual lives, which is why it’s so important to be mindful of our words as much as we can be. Personally, I’ve realized that as of late, saying “it’s hot” is totally inaccurate, which is why I’m now saying “it’s cold” instead.
Just a few months ago I was saying “It’s hot” nearly all the time. I’d also say variations of the phrase like, “I’m so hot”, “It’s so hot in here”, and “Why is it so damn hot out?” But something essential to the nature of language is that it is always changing. That’s why at the end of September when it dropped below 70 degrees, I realized that it was finally time to expand my vocabulary, and leave “it’s hot” behind.
Now, I say things like “Wow, it got so cold,” or “Oh my god, I’m literally freezing right now,” and it seems like other people are using the same phrasing, too.
Last week I was talking to my good friend Mariah about the weather, something that we used to do a lot in the summer, but this time it went a little differently. Instead of both of us saying how hot it was outside, we both had changed our vocab and were remarking on how cold it got.
This made me ask myself: Are we going through a complete revolution of language as we know it? It also made me ask myself: Should I buy winter boots?
However, language can also be cyclical, especially in this case. After doing some research into the phrase “It’s cold”, I found that people said this all the way back in 2019 during the fall and winter. I mean, what are the odds?
I also have to admit that I tried to hang on to my past language as much as possible, but that it wasn’t received very well.
When temperatures first started to drop, I kept saying “It’s so hot out, am I right?” to my friends and coworkers, but they seemed to be caught off guard and even offended by this.
“Wait, for real?” one of my coworkers said. “It’s literally 50 degrees. Are you feeling alright?”
It looked like the world had moved on without me, so I needed to adjust, and I’m so thankful that I did. Now, I love saying “it’s cold” so much that I’m prepared to keep saying it nonstop for the next few years!
