In this world of constant change that we live in, new ideas and ideals often need to be accepted and embraced. There are also changes in our world that some deem to be negative and unbeneficial. Computer language and texting abbreviations are a sweeping change in western society, and dynamic and debated issues in our culture. Many would argue that texting slang is the language of the future; a more efficient form of communication. But I feel that this new and evolving “dialect” is a result of pure laziness. A major cause of this is the instantaneous nature of modern technology, which has created a culture of impatience.
When change compromises a population’s articulation and ability to express itself properly, it shouldn’t be embraced, but stopped. The English language is a beautiful result of thousands of years of development, but in a very short time we have seen it change drastically. If we continue down the path of computer language, the English language will fall apart. Poetry will no longer be flowing stanzas filled with symbolism and metaphors, but a jumble of abbreviations and acronyms. If texting slang is taught in the education system, students will struggle to read even recent literature. Older generations will become even more cut off from the youth, as people that came before cell phones and internet will have difficulty communicating in the new form of English. Although this may seem extreme, with our current pace of change and our cultures easy acceptance these problems may become real issues all too soon. That is why we as individuals and as a culture should be wary of computer language and texting abbreviations, and ask ourselves: What could result from our laziness?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hey Dan, I think you are right. This may not be a problem at this point in time but it might be an unbeneficial factor later on. I am not saying abbreviations and computer language should be embraced but don't you think as long as students and teenagers understand when it is okay to use these abbreviations? I do not believe this is resulting from our laziness. I believe this is a result of an overgrowing trend in technology and computer technology, therefore, more acronyms and "codes" being thrown around. It's just that this has reached teenagers, throughout daily use of internet.
ReplyDeleteWow, this actually shifted my perspective quite a bit, and have a few points to argue with you Dan. I must agree that the arguement between efficiency and laziness is quite a thin line. I never type "you're" correctly just because I am too lazy. But that doesn't mean "your" is less efficient, my message is clearly understood by my peers. Secondly, an attempt to outright stop the way people speak, or write, thats bordering on censorship don't you think? The way our language evolves can be controlled, but only by controlling the society who uses it. In addition, self-expression doesn't mean sophisticated language, a picture, or sound can also be self-expression, and people are creative, the opposite is true if you try and stop the way people type. And lastly, like I've said in my paragraph, beauty always prevails.
ReplyDelete