“Ain’t ain’t a word, and I ain’t going to say it.” This charming chant has been around for as long as I can remember to discourage young students from using this forbidden contraction. According to many, the word “ain’t” is not proper. But who really decides what is and is not proper in the English language?

In France they have the Académie, a group of people who are considered the authority on the grammar and vocabulary of the French language. One of their specifications is eliminating English words from their lexicon. But does this mean that French speakers never use taboo English words when speaking to their peers? Of course not.

Trying to keep language from changing with the times or trends is impossible. When technology, fashion and popular television shows change, language is right along with them. After all, twenty years ago the people our age would have no idea what “texting” meant, but now it’s a word that we probably use every day. It’s true that slang words come and go, but whether or not they are considered proper really depends on how you view language and grammar in general.

Two views are used when describing how language is viewed: prescriptive and descriptive. Prescriptivists like grammar to be by the book and want to avoid slang words. Descriptivists, on the other hand, do not try to correct the language of a person but describe how it is used in society and how it changes over time.

If you look at language change from a descriptivist viewpoint, language does not erode, it merely evolves. If you, as a modern English speaker, were to hold a conversation with an Old English speaker you would not be able to understand each other. The grammar, the vocabulary and the slang would be totally different from the language that we use today. Does that mean that Old English is better than Modern English? No, it has merely evolved (and trust me, if you have ever studied the grammar of Old English you would be grateful for the change). And 1,000 years from now, would we be able to understand the new, Modern English speakers? The answer most likely is no.

We all hear people using the word “like” between every other word. We usually attribute this quality to being ditzy, but is that a fair generalization to make? No, it’s just the way that people talk; it’s part of their culture. Culture shapes how we speak, and as our culture changes so will our words and manner of speaking. It’s safe to say that some of our current slang words won’t be around even a year from now, but that doesn’t mean they are poisoning our language. They reflect our culture. They add flavor to our language.

You don’t need to worry about the proper way of speaking, it will resist change for a while longer. It will be preserved through writing and is considered standard in the professional environment. While you can talk to your friends and other peers using slang, employers probably won’t appreciate you being in tune with your culture in this way, so it definitely does not hurt to know the prescriptivist rules.

There will always be prescriptivists and descriptivists in our world. But no matter what your opinions are on language usage, the important thing to remember is not to judge how others speak. Whether you want to take pride in speak with eloquence or milk the newest slang words dry, it’s up to you. May we converse in peace.