Changes

Terms that were clear and meaningful to one generation are often unclear and less meaningful to the next; meanwhile, entirely new terms are constantly emerging, some of which may facilitate more precise translation from the Biblical Greek and Hebrew (and Aramaic in the case of parts of the books of Ezra/Nehemya and Daniel).

Terms that were clear and meaningful to one generation are often unclear and less meaningful to the next; meanwhile, entirely new terms are constantly emerging, some of which may facilitate more precise translation from the Biblical Greek and Hebrew (and Aramaic in the case of parts of the books of Ezra/Nehemya and Daniel).

Both effects above -- due to culture and the emergence of new terms -- may be increasing as communications increase. If a word inevitably alters its meaning after an approximate number of uses, then the time period for the change in meaning will shorten due to improved technology, just as the length of a [[sound bite]] likewise shortens. Likewise, the rate of emergence of new terms may be directly correlated to the frequency of communication. In the [[internet]] era, combating the effect of language degradation and creation on the understanding of the [[Bible]] becomes more important.   

It has been suggested that both effects above -- due to culture and the emergence of new terms -- may be increasing as communications increase. Certainly new terms that emerge in one place may become widespread more easily. On the other hand, one observed effect of global communications is to standardize and perhaps stabilize more and for dialect and local shifts to become more evened out, so the converse could as easily be the case.

 

If a word inevitably altered its meaning after an approximate number of uses, then the time period for the change in meaning would be expected shorten due to improved technology. But the most frequently used words in the English language have shifted semantically very little since Middle English, or in many cases since Old English/Anglo-Saxon.

 

It is posited that the rate of emergence of new terms may be directly correlated to the frequency of communication.

In the [[internet]] era, combating the effect of language degradation and creation on the understanding of the [[Bible]] becomes more important.   

But there is an economic obstacle to developing a translation of the Bible that remains current with changes in language.  Book sales have been declining sharply due to the internet, and it is probably not easy to recoup the substantial costs ($10 million for the [[Holman Christian Standard Bible]]) that are required to develop a new translation.  With the need to recoup and enormous investment, publishers of a new Bible are probably overly cautious in changing familiar terminology despite erosion in their meaning, in fear of criticism and a poor reception.  A lower-cost and more dynamic approach is needed to combat the effects of persistent degradations in language.

But there is an economic obstacle to developing a translation of the Bible that remains current with changes in language.  Book sales have been declining sharply due to the internet, and it is probably not easy to recoup the substantial costs ($10 million for the [[Holman Christian Standard Bible]]) that are required to develop a new translation.  With the need to recoup and enormous investment, publishers of a new Bible are probably overly cautious in changing familiar terminology despite erosion in their meaning, in fear of criticism and a poor reception.  A lower-cost and more dynamic approach is needed to combat the effects of persistent degradations in language.