After Monday’s discussion on language I began to think about
the various ways in which society communicates. Technological advances have
enabled us to reach one another instantly regardless of the time or the place.
Throughout my day I am constantly talking to people through text message,
e-mail, instant message, video chat, Facebook chat, etc. It was this lecture
that really got me thinking about how fortunate we are to be able to
communicate so easily and how we take this for granted. My parents often tell
stories about how when they were dating in college the only way they could
communicate was through writing letters. My dad jokes that some times he would
save up and use the pay phone once a week to call my mom. It is amazing to
think that if they were going to school now they would be able to speak to each
other every minute of every day if they wanted to. Clearly there are many
benefits to this technologically savvy generation, however I believe that there
are some disadvantages to this instantaneous ability to communicate as well.
I feel that we want to communicate with each other as
quickly as possible. For this reason we have created all of this “text lingo”
such as brb, lol, smh, ttyl, ctn, etc. I understand that we want to get the
message out as quickly as possible but I feel that when we start saying L-O-L
while speaking in person to our friends or elders it does not project a
positive intellectual image. I also have noticed that because we constantly use
abbreviations it is affecting our ability to spell correctly and speak
properly. My parents who wrote letters are extremely proficient spellers and I
often joke about my mom being the grammar queen who frequently interrupts my
brothers and I with comments like “it’s Shannon and I”. The incessant use of abbreviations such
as “ur” instead of your or you’re become habitual and blind us to the words
proper usage. Although I believe it is amazing that I am able to video chat
with my 92 year old grandpa in New Jersey while I am in Michigan, I do feel
that this generation is not as grammar or spelling savvy as in the past.
Thankfully, we have to write and read at school otherwise I would be concerned
for the future of our society. Take a second and imagine…what would you do if
you couldn’t text message or e-mail?!
-Shannon Funsch
-Shannon Funsch
I completely agree with this post. I think that all of the means we have to communicate now-a-days make it so much easier for us to stay in touch with people. I went to an overnight camp and made friends who lived all around the US and even the world (one was from the United Arab Emirates). All of the various technologies we have today made it easy to stay in touch for the 10 months a year when we were all in different locations. Further, all of my friends from high school go to different colleges. I still talk to them all every day without much effort. We even have a "group text" so all of us can talk at one time! However, I believe that my ability to communicate when I need to do so formally is much worse than my parents' ability. The other day, as I was emailing my professor, I realized that I had to focus really hard to write a proper, grammatically correct email. Whenever I am emailing my friends or parents I end up using words like "ur" or "cuz". To avoid using these type of words required extra effort. Like you said in your post, our use of common abbreviations in our everyday communication has affected my ability to spell and speak correctly. --Alexa Levitz
ReplyDeleteI agree! It's so funny how we have this constant need to stay in touch with the rest of the world. Sometimes I turn my phone off for hours at a time to just get a break from friends and demands and even my mom! And another question we have to ask ourselves-- how has all this new communication affected our relationships with other people? Shannon, your grandparents used to write letters and your parents used to call each other every so often. Now, our generation has come up with different expectations, even "rules" as to when you can text someone, how long you should know someone before you friend them on Facebook, and how you should word your messages so they come off the "right way." I really wish we could go back to communication of the old days; it's too much pressure to have to think about everything you say before you say, rather, write it. It takes away the beauty of intimacy and closeness of relationships and friendships.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the message that you are trying to convey through this post. My mom has been a teacher for over thirty years, and she often compares and contrasts the proficiency of writing throughout her career between the pre-texting and post-texing eras. The funny thing about this new found writing style is some students don't even realize that this style of writing is incorrect. They use and re-use texting vocabulary over and over again in academic papers and suffer the consequences. As you stated, technology does have countless advantages, but it also diminishes the pursuit for proficiency in an educational setting.
ReplyDeleteLast semester, my philosophy professor brought up the position that ever since grammar stopped being regularly taught/drilled in high schools, the English language has been experiencing a sort of Orwellian decline. While I understood his argument, which made logical sense, it does not suggest that texting lingo directly contributes to linguistic decline. It is perfectly possible for someone to have excellent grammar while also frequently using texting slang. For example, I frequently shorten things for my friends because this gets the message across. But if I were writing a paper for a class, I'd bring out all the stops - semicolons, rhetorical questions, ellipses, etc., etc. The problem lies with those who use the same linguistic style and tone in addressing vastly different audiences. In that case, grammar drills might be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteHey Shannon,
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure that abbreviated words are so terrible. English writing used to consist of words such as "olde" as opposed to "old" and "colour" in contrast to "color." Even British English still contains some of these antiquities. Of course, we never think about how the "proper" English we write with today is a variant of what was used many generations ago. Maybe our great grandchildren will be looking back at our way of texting, thinking how unusual it is to use "LOL" when you could just say "L."
The English language is alive and constantly evolving. I'm curious as to where we're going to take it.
- Jonathan Lipkin
The grammar nazi in me laments the inability of people to spell correctly. Here's a funny example from a friend of mine. He posted the following on Facebook:
ReplyDelete"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by a--holes." William Gibson
To which his college student son replied: "Your aloud to swear on here."
Of course, much discussion between father and son ensued.
BUT... as Shannon's message implies, your generation is writing much, much more than earlier generations. Even bookish nerds like me who loved writing letters before I got email (which I did in 1986), I never wrote anywhere near as much as I do now, or as you do. So, sure, language does change, and some of the changes may look disturbing, especially to old farts like me. But far more ideas are being exchanged than ever before, and that's a pretty awesome thing. So despite my grammar nazi knee jerks, I'm with Jon on this: we don't need to worry too much.
Since we use this lingo daily, I do think that it is definitely altering our generation. I feel that using abbreviations is an easy way out. Our generation has become so lazy that they use "LOL" instead of simply saying "that is funny" or "I am laughing". I've also seen my parents starting to use this lingo, which is pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that communicating via electronics is changing the way that our generation communicates face to face. The internet allows people to say things that they would not have said to someone in person-- which is a huge reason as to why cyber bullying occurs. I do use this lingo daily, but I don't think that it's healthy for future generations. Future generations are going to become less and less grammar and spelling savvy.
Wow, I think this is an awesome topic. Like you said, we are even using this slang lingo while talking in person now too. Sometimes when I am writing emails to my teachers I find myself saying "Do u know", and although thats not "slang" it still is improper english. Our generation is suffering due to our constant communication and our need to for this communication to be so fast. If we had the time to articulate these emails, texts, ims, etc...we most likely would write them in correct english. However, because things such as texting are forms of laziness(not picking up the phone to speak) it is all about executing our thoughts as quick as possible. As a result texting is definitely hurting us.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty hard to refute the notion that social networks and text messaging have ushered in a new, perhaps unprecedented (i'm not a linguist) era of colloquialisms. Now, while they have certainly inserted themselves into my life in a variety of ways, most of which have been referenced by others, I don't see anything wrong with it. I've never used an texting abbreviation in an essay or formal document, nor for that matter, can I conceive of a situation where it would even be necessary. How often do you find yourself writing "Be right Back" or "laugh out loud" in the context of formal writing and public speaking. The line is drawn clearly, although it might not be visible, if that makes sense. The way we speak is always changing and this is a good thing. It makes conversation more interesting, engaging, and easy. It adds variety to life. Slang is really fun and I bet most groups of friends use some form of slang in a way that only they understand. I don't think "text speak" and abbreviations are lazy, I think they're creative, innovative, and fun. Assuming of course, that they are only used at appropriate times. On a related note, I think the notion that we as a generation are becoming worse at grammar is slightly misguided. I can see where the argument comes from, but couldn't this shift be viewed as a transformation, rather than a regression? For example, when was the last time a professor marked you down on a paper for ending a sentence with a preposition? I honestly think that's never happened to me. It's something thats become socially, and academically acceptable. Like Jon said before, Language is constantly changing. Why fight it?
ReplyDeletethat last post was by Jonathan Max Miller, by the way.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this post, to the extent that I separately discussed this in a post of mine on another blog I maintain for a class:
ReplyDeletehttp://chronickvetching.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/lol-bro-you-trolled-him-good/
Overall, I have incredibly negative views on internet lingo pervading into the English language. Look at how the english language has evolved over the past several centuries. It began as this incredibly intellectual language with complex sentence structures and a significantly more different vocabulary. Today, it's completely different, not necessarily in a bad way, but if internet slang continues to become a part of modern day speech, I fear for future generations and their form of English. We discussed in class and read in our readings about how languages continually evolve, but that does not necessarily mean they evolve in a positive and intellectual way.
My mom sent me a text the other day that used the textism, OMG. Even worse it looked like this, "omgggggg." Mom! Don't use the Lord's name in vain so many times in a row! He'll smite your shit.
ReplyDeleteReally though, this whole business of parents using textual lingo is unsettling. My father texts rarely, but has increased his text output by about 1000 percent since getting a new phone. He's sent 20 in four months. He's also 76 years old. If he ever says LOL to something via text, I'm going to cry for a few reasons.
1. I've never actually seen him laugh out loud. He was a child of the depression, he is difficult to amuse.
2. He has learned this phrase without me teaching it to him. If my sister is teaching my parents text lingo, she is most certainly reaffirming herself as the favorite.
3. Seriously. I wish he would just laugh at me in person. I made a joke at the dinner table the last time I was home: nothing. He goes into the living room to watch Two and Half Men and laughs his brains off. TWO AND A HALF MEN. It's insulting.
Again, my blogging is revealing deep personal issues via attempted comedy... I mean, serious academic discussion. Yep...
Parents, use abbreviations sparingly. Children, don't neglect punctuation. The oxford comma will save you from sounding unintentionally racist at least once in your life... not that I have ever had that sort of situation or anything like that don't be silly what okay...
I'm leaving now. Pretend something academic was accomplished.
Chad Rhiness