now we're dropping full syllables?

In a meeting today, a colleague said, "Given that this is a top priority, I'll prolly be able to push it through."

Prolly?! Of course, I've heard "probly" spoken in the past, but never "prolly."

This is either due to laziness or a lack of pride in the language. Or maybe both. It's definitely not a case of the language evolving to meet modern realities, like the recent reigning in of hyphenation.

Whenever I rant about misuses such as this, someone inevitably comments that more people speak English as a second/ third/ fourth language than any other language in the world, which is supposed to explain some of the bastardization. But in my experience, those who learn later, who learn the language not just because it's there but because they've chosen to, are the ones who actually take pride in it and speak more correctly.

I vote we get ourselves some language police. Did you know the French refer to the members of their Académie française as "the immortals?" Yup, that more than a bit weird, but at least it's a sign of how much they value their language... prolly.

RainyBow