I listened to Bob Edwards on NPR last week. Actually, I listen to Bob on a regular basis and this particular day really caught my attention. The discussion was about how modern shorthand is changing how language is used and understood. The examples used were text messaging and Twitter. Both require the user to be concise and find a way to communicate what they want using fewer characters than standard written communications. When texting started you were charged by the number of characters included in your text. Twitter limits the user to 140 characters. Characters also included spaces so a user needed to be clever about how to contract a word without losing the words meaning.
One of the panel members took the position that these contractions were changing the way language is used and it might be detrimental to communications. In fact, this panel member thought that it would be detrimental to the educational system in particular. Another panel member took a different position. That panel member pointed out that language is not static and changes over time. That panelist suggests that what we are seeing is language in flux and that it is nothing that should cause concern. Aren’t contractions such as “Aren’t” a form of shorthand?
I am torn between these two positions. I remember when I first was exposed to acronyms in the business world. Initially, I couldn’t make heads or tails of some written correspondences because of the acronyms. Over time they became second nature and as long as I limited the use to the communities that used the acronyms, all was right in the world. I do have trouble with acronyms that are new to me and much of the shorthand in texting takes a bit of time for me to figure out. But overall, I’m OK with the changes I’ve seen in my lifetime.
What about you? What’s your opinion? Please let me know.
You are right that language is evolving and of course every generation is shocked by the language mutilation that the following generation seems to embrace. I shudder when I see intelligent 10-12 year olds on Facebook use of language. Here’s an example of a status update:
“chillin wif christina. idk wat to do”
It seems as if we are on our way to 1984! But could you imagine if we were all still using Old English?
I have to agree that the English language is being mutilated by this texting structure. To think of what it would be like 30 years from now, if it keeps going the way it presently is, us older folks will not be able to communicate with others of our own language. I’m sure, if we went back 100 to 200 years from now, we would still be able to understand our English ancestors…but could we say the same for those coming after us? Why not stick to the King’s English and be done with it. I’m from the old school, so that should explain it all.
Willie, I afraid the genie is out of the bottle on this one. If you think we could understand the language 100 years ago, I might agree. I would have trouble agreeing that the English language of 200 years ago would be understood without great difficulty. I am not sure that we are seeing mutilation of the language because language is never static. You and I might not be comfortable with the way the younger generation is changing language, but our grandfathers would not have been comfortable with our use of their language…the rules of grammar had already seen changes.
I think that is the point. Language will change over time. In the past the pace of change was slower, but with all of the digital media available today, hang on for a fun ride.
Just curious Mark, but why wouldn’t we understand the King’s English of 200 years ago? It hasn’t changed that drastically. What we hear now is just slang and I wouldn’t even honor it with the description of “language”. As for a ‘fun ride’, now that’s another story.
The fact is that we would struggle with how the meaning of words has changed. Some usages are different and other words have come into existence because of new discoveries of things, or a more precise differentiation was needed. The word shambles was once used to describe a butcher shop. That would be totally lost on most of us today.
I think it is obvious why “shambles” was dropped as a meaning for a butcher shop, but it did not go out of use. Simply a more appropriate term was assigned to that meaning, but the word “butcher” was in use at the same time and was not a ‘new’ term. Both butcher and shambles are still commonly used in our every day English language.
…and that is the point I tried to make. the more appropriate, or precise term became the norm. It is true that both words are in current use, but I would suggest that no one would ever associate shambles with butcher.
Mark……………………….hello…………….wake up honey…………….you’re talking in your sleep about shorthand. WAKE UP!!!! You need to be listening to a loud music channel, blogging about some blogging thing besides @*$#@! NPR and shorthand. Get the blood moving – are you on those pain pills again?! Love Ya – GF
Gary…there is more to life than “LOUD MUSIC”….unless you mean a good opera. And don’t knock NPR….it’s one of the only places you can get a full perspective of what is going on in the world.
Love ya’,
your cousin — Willie
Gary leave your big brother in age only alone
Thank you for coming to my defense and recognizing that he is only little brother in age, certainly not girt!
Thanks Keith, I do the same with nieces and nephews. They text that stuff and I have to answer in the King’s english.
I think this is amazing! A civil conversation using the King’s English. But isn’t the King dead? Are we really still speaking in his language? What would he say about what we’ve written so far?
Thanks for responding, brother. Yep.
Hi Mark,
Good points and I agree that language is in a constant state of change. I enjoy figuring out ways to shorten my texts and still have the meaning come through. I think I’m fairly effective with this and am continually fine-tuning my texting style.
Did you know that in France there’s a sort of “language police”, whose job it is to review new words and give them the “stamp of approval” or the “red stamp” of rejection? (The french love their stamps!) They try to keep their language from becoming bastardized, (americanized,) but are now being forced to accept many words and phrases that would have never made it a decade ago because of the internationalization of language from the internet and texting.
Thanks for taking the time to bring up this subject.
Bambi
PS, Do you know how to put pictures in a blog?
Bambi, thanks for reading my blog and commenting on what I wrote. I think we have a few language policemen in this country as well. Maybe not to the level of France.
Since I am new to blogging, I’m still learning, but Word Press has a facility for doing that. Try starting a blog and learn as you go!
YY u r. YY u b. I c u r YY 4 me. We’re nearing the age of heirogyphics, again. I know. I have four daughters that text “How r u “. I reply in “Kings” english….”Just fine, and you?” Can you imagine the King James version of the bible referring to Jesus Christ and the Apostles as “Jc and the boys?”.
Keith
HUH?!? YY u r. I do not have a clue.