Lost words

1. Where and when?
All over the world, Almost started

What will vanish:
"Do you know the meaning......"
"Do you know where I can find...."
"I am lost....."

Why so?
-Thanks to google and GPS we will stop asking these questions.
-Anyone who asks such questions will actually be ridiculed and mocked at!
-Even the most polite coworker will raise her eyebrow, smile and say gently "I googled and found the answer!"
-Even if a brave guy decides to ditch the GPS and goes to buy a road map, he may not be able to get a paper copy.

2.Where and when?
Developed nations in about 20 to 50 years:

What will vanish:
Pen and Pencil will be part of a legacy medium used for teaching writing. Unless a teacher is extremely art oriented and enjoys teaching using pens, pencils, note books, color pencils and crayons.. these will slowly be left behind from the 'back to school supply list'

Why so?
-Tons of tiny tots and their parents take extreme pleasure in exploring a computer even before the toddler can speak.

-Preschoolers learn alphabets using other medium (electronic games etc) and by the time they are in school they can read.

-School assignments are increasingly focussing on computer rather than conventional medium.

3. Where and when?
In China and India in about 50 to 100 years:

What will vanish:
Words and phrases: Sister, Brother, Sibling, Sibling rivalry, Eldest child, Youngest child, Middle child, Elder of the two sons, Elder of the two daughters, Eldest and hence mothers pet, Youngest and hence fathers pet, Looks like her sister, Looks like his brother, sandwiched between a sister and a brother,
Relationships: Sister, Brother, Older brother / Older sister / Younger brother / Younger sister

What else will vanish?
-Hand me downs: A mother can no longer take pleasure in saving the tiniest frock and wait for another few years to adorn her younger one and recreate a moment only known to her and live in it.
-Children will forget that there is a beauty in sharing.

-Learing to play the first games of life at home - sharing, understanding, negotiating, sensitivity, people skills (will sharing become a subject in school curriculum?)

Why so?
- Due to extensive political, social, cultural and financial pressures families are restricting to having 1 child or 2 children now a days. It is a long shot to expect these children to have more than one child. With no sister or brother to play with, these words will be part of a fairy tale of a bygone era.


4. Where and when?
In China and India in about 1oo to 200 years:

What will vanish?
Words and relationships: Cousin, Aunt, Uncle

What else will vanish?
-Sitting in an aunt or an uncles' lap as they weave their childhood tales and watch gleefully as their parents and aunts and uncles argue over the intrinsic details of their childhoods tale that they are never tired of hearing ----- children will learn about their parents childhood by watching 'home movies'

-Religious ceremonies will be more social functions since it will be all about friends and not families.

-No more uncles and aunts to gift cash on Diwali.

-No more uncles and aunts to secretly hug and say 'don't worry, I know your dad.. we can convince him'.

Why?
-Since children will be part of the ever growing nuclear one child families they will never need to use the words aunty or uncle

5. Where and when?
In China and India in about 100 to 200 years:

What will vanish?
Second Cousin and all related relationships and words


6. Where and when?
In India in about 100 to 200 years:


What will vanish?
-A sister-in-law to tie the wedding knot along with the groom (what ritual will replace this role?)
-Marraiges within the family (we can do away with this)

-No long lost relative to show up at the door and stay overnight

-Mother and daughter ganging up against the ill fated daughter-in-law (yippee!)

-Large guest list of extended family for weddings (hmm! extended family is the cream of any wedding)

What benefits the society from this trend?

-Unprecedented womens' liberation (Wow! - will India finally openly acknowledge our women do have sex before marraige? )

-Finally Indian women will learn to accept their daughters as rightful heirs (yeah!)
-Families will learn to share wealth outside the family
-Indian families will learn to conduct smaller weddings with no wastage of valuable resources (finally)
-A chance for Indian families to marry outside of their community in large numbers

But what will never vanish:
-Abortion of the female featus until a male is conceived
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