Words go in and out of fashion all the time. For example, the phrase “the debate over” is fading out in favor of “the conversation around.”
My guess is that the change in prepositions is merely a fad. After all, prepositions in English are somewhat arbitrary, which is why it’s hard for people learning English to remember which preposition to use.
On the other, the shift from “the debate” to the “the conversation” seems related to the ongoing feminization of discourse (with “the discussion” in the middle in terms of masculinity vs. feminine).
Here are the first 15 examples that come up in Google when I search for “the debate over.” Notice the masculine flavor:
Chapter 7: The Debate over Ratification [of the Constitution]
The Debate Over Critical Race Theory
The Debate Over a Bill of Rights
The Politics of Culture and the Debate over Representation
The Debate over Ratification
The Debate Over Debates: Trump Campaign Pushes For In-Person Debate Next Week
The Debate Over Slavery: Antislavery and Proslavery
The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility
The Debate over the Origin of Genius during the Italian Renaissance
Why the debate over what counts as ‘infrastructure’ probably suits the Biden team just fine
The Debate over Women’s Roles in Public
The American Constitution and the Debate over Originalism
The debate over rational decision making in evidence-based medicine
A guide for conceptualizing the debate over Section 230
The debate over Covid-19 vaccine boosters and what to call them and whether they’re needed
In contrast, here are the first 15 Google offerings for “the conversation around”:
Shifting the Conversation around Sexual Harassment
The conversation around sexual assault
We’re changing the conversation around fertility
How You Can Open the Conversation around Mental Wellness at Work
Changing the conversation around disability
Change the conversation around support as a cost center
It’s Time to Shift the Conversation Around Ambition
Webinar: Normalizing the conversation around mental health
Reframing the Conversation Around Family Engagement
The Conversation Around Critical Race Theory is a Manufactured Danger
Changing the Conversation around Mental Health
Changing the Conversation around Mental Health Starts with You
How Does Twitter Shape the Conversation around Covid-19?
Raising the Conversation around Social Emotional Learning Skills
Op-Ed: Normalising the conversation around menopause in the workplace
Clearly, the latter are much more feminine and manipulative.
