The newest debate between English teachers isn't if Shakespeare is the best, it's about the English language dying. Some teachers believe that because of instant messaging English will change so much it will become a dead language. If a language is changing how will it become a dead language? "Languages are always changing, and that's a fact that language snobs need to get over and accept - because the only language that doesn't change is a dead language, like Latin," said Derek Denis (The Boston Globe). English isn't being changed drastically, actually it is only being changed by making words into abbreviations. Is making words into abbreviations actually changing the English language or is it "killing" it? The two most common abbreviations are haha and lol (laugh out loud). Other abbreviations include u (you), ur (your), and ttyl (talk to you later). Even if a teenager doesn't have a computer or a cell phone they know most of the "words." Anther thing teachers believe is suffering in formal writing is spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. They believe that the students don't know the difference between formal and non-formal writing when they are writing a paper. Spelling suffers because most if not all users drop letters in words. Some of the most common words with dropped letters are wen, wat, kno, and b. Capitalization suffers because of the the instant message "code." The only time letter are capitalized are when the user is "yelling," in names, or when the user wants get their point across strongly. The punctuation suffers because the things that are said don't need punctuation.
I don't believe that formal writing is suffering because of the abbreviations. In a study about 63% of students said that they type the same as they writing in school. But, 64% of the students in the study said that they do mistakenly use the short hand in school. 74% of students in the study said that texting and instant messaging does not change how they write in school. When i write a first draft I sometimes write in the short hand and then go back and fix it. The instant message words do help me in school because I can get my ideas down before i have to write everything out. So does instant messaging and text effect the way the students write?
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Well, come on; it's true that language is an ever-changing phenomenon, but as with everything, there are limits. While some English teachers remain obstinate and stuck in old trends, I believe most of them are actually willing to conform to the fluctuations of the English language. I believe that they just consider this "evolution" ludicrous--on the contrary, a degeneration.
ReplyDeleteI'm on their side. I know that IM language slightly permeates our own language at the moment--every so often, people catch themselves using an acronym instead of the real world. That's totally forgivable--not even something that mandates forgiveness. What these teachers object to is the slow decomposition of speech, until we're just a bunch of squealing sentinels, dispensing single, lower-case letters, incomprehensible to even each other. This link elaborates on my point.
"TEH ANGLISH LANGUAEG SI TRULEY DACOMPOSNG AND THERE SI LITL3 W3 CAN DO ABOUT IT!!11! LOL WHIEL REGRETABL3 SOMA ARGUA TAHT WA SHUD ACEPT DA CHANGE AS NOTHNG MOR3 THAN 3VOLUTION WHIEL OTHARS PROTEST WIT FERVOR!!11!!1!1"
The desecration above was simple speech that I inserted into an English-to-12-Year-Old AOL Translator. The actual speech is displayed below.
"The English language is truly decomposing, and their is little we can do about it. While regrettable, some argue that we should accept the change as nothing more than "evolution," while others protest with fervor."
Could you understand it?
Is this the "evolution" you propose, Kyle?
I do believe that some aspects of writing have been hurt by the recent tread of text messaging. I don't necessarily think that it is going to kill the language, but it is unprofessional and tacky to be writing in textspeak when communicating important ideas. There has been a definite increase in spelling and grammar problems in younger students, especially during the middle school and high school years. Punctuation is certainly suffering by the lack of it in mainstream speech. Some say that instant messaging teaches students language mechanics, but if it does then why are writing skills so low? Of course text messaging is here to stay, but people need to remember where it belongs.
ReplyDeleteI think that it does affect the English language. It affects people grammar and how things are said. Then in some cases goes back to the schools and can change the whole system. When we are young we learn how to spell and use grammar, bu with the IM's these kids can get confused on what to write and are being taught 2 different ways.
ReplyDeleteI also think that students writing has been affected by text messaging and instant messaging. I have observed my peer's writing and I have noticed that some of them who text and IM often use the shorthand spellings of some words, rather than the full word. Some people may say that IMing makes writing more formal, but when you look at the population of students who use the shorthand spellings in place of the actual spellings, you will find that it is not formal at all. Also, some people don't use the correct punctuation and quotations when writing stories or other similar pieces. I don't think that this has reached a point of no return though. If we were to confront the problem before it turns into something that cannot be reversed.
ReplyDeleteInstant Messaging is a HUGE part of our communication world right now and sure it is changing our language but I don't think it is really that bad. I think that it can even help in some ways. Also it's not like it is just our country that is IMing all the time and changing the way they speak but other countries like France are using the internet more and more everyday.
ReplyDeleteI think that change to our language is a good thing and Instant Messaging is a lot easier in some ways so no one will ever stop using it.
People think that America is becoming wound up in this trend in "Instant Messaging" and adopting the new language of IMing. But it is actually
ReplyDeleteFrance is getting sucked into the IM world worse than any other country. Though I have heard that there have been considerations of actually adopting the IMing language into the English language, I do not think this will actually happen, maybe many years from now when our generation becomes the people who are in control.
Though people may bash on IMing and say that it is bad and too addictive, it is actually less severe than that, if anything it is a helpful tool for the
unproductive mind. As reports actually prove that IMing can increase productivity in a person. Though some people may disagree with this by saying that it does not help them, I definitely have to agree that it increases productivity.
I don't think that IM has affected the english language as much as people think. Its not like people us IM language on reports or homework, the only time people usually use IM language is when they are texting. But now that I said that I can move onto the topic of IM vs. Formal Writing. I think that formal writing is the best option if you want to be taken seriously. Lets face it, getting hand written letter is better then getting a text message. But IM is good if you want to communicate with people constantly. But the good thing about IM is that it is easier for people to understand then what you get in formal writing, according to a study I read about in a article. So when it comes to which one is better I can't really answer that because it all depends on the situation to tell which one is better.
ReplyDelete