Elderspeak is a specialized speech style used by younger adults with older adults, characterized by simpler vocabulary and sentence structure, filler words, content words, overly-endearing terms, closed-ended questions, using the collective "we", repetition, and speaking more slowly.
Ageist language might include phrases or words such as “geezer,” “elderly,” “senior,” “senile,” “old school,” or “kiddo,” “girl,” or “young man.” More neutral and descriptive terms such as “older people” or “younger people” help to address stereotyping or caricatures.
Elderspeak is an inappropriate simplified speech register that sounds like baby talk and is commonly used with older adults, especially in health care settings.
Aging is a gradual, continuous process of natural change that begins in early adulthood. During early middle age, many bodily functions begin to gradually decline. People do not become old or elderly at any specific age.
Healthy non-pathological aging is characterized by cognitive and neural decline, and although language is one of the more stable areas of cognition, older adults often show deficits in language production, showing word finding failures, increased slips of the tongue, and increased pauses in speech.
Greet the person.
If you already know the person, let them know you're glad to see them by saying hello with a smile. Give them a hug if it's appropriate. If you do not know the person, introduce yourself in a friendly tone of voice and offer a handshake.
adage. noun. ad·age ˈad-ij. : an old familiar saying : proverb.
A person between 60 and 69 is called a sexagenarian. A person between 70 and 79 is called a septuagenarian. A person between 80 and 89 is called an octogenarian. A person between 90 and 99 is called a nonagenarian. A person between 100 and 109 is called a centenarian.
Once people are past middle age, they're old. That's how life progresses: You're young, you're middle-aged, then you're old. Of course, calling someone old is generally not considered polite, because the word, accurate though it might be, is frequently considered pejorative.
Ageist attitudes in the community mean that older people are perceived to be less deserving or, alternatively, are incapacitated and in need of protection. Ageism is discrimination based on age, without any evidence base, and is especially prejudicial and detrimental to the very old (often called “the elderly”.
Telling a woman she's “too old” to wear certain styles or outfits (particularly ones that are considered “sexy.”) "Anti-aging" products and services. Praising older people by comparing them to younger ones: "You look good for [your age]," "You're young at heart.” “Are you really that old?
Be patient
Don't rush them, though. Allow for moments of silence, and be prepared to wait a few moments while they figure out what they want to say. Keep the conversation on one topic at a time, and avoid asking multiple questions in a row. This can be confusing for older adults.
Some seniors experience communication difficulty because of impaired hearing, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease, or the effects of brain injuries such as a stroke. In some extreme cases, older adults may even lose the ability to speak entirely.
Good Morning/Good Day/Good Afternoon/Good Evening
These are general polite greetings that can be used in all situations and are used at particular times of the day (like good morning when you greet a colleague or manager as you enter the office in the morning.)
As people get older, the larynx (voice box), vocal folds (cords), and voice-producing mechanism age along with the rest of the body. Age-related voice changes develop as muscle and other tissues in the larynx and vocal cords shrink, thin, and stiffen.
An ancient language is any language originating in times that may be referred to as ancient. There are no formal criteria for deeming a language ancient, but a traditional convention is to demarcate as "ancient" those languages that existed prior to the 5th century.
First of all, learning a dead language helps open the door to a past and history that many modern languages can't offer. It teaches a cultural sensitivity and historical understanding that can, essentially, help us to effectively learn from the past.