Written language becoming the way of the dinosaurs?

Are we losing the Art of written language?

In today's age, technology is becoming the forerunner in the race for faster and better ways of expressing ourselves.

No need to write things down anymore; we just type our words into a little devise known as the cell phone and click the send button, then Voila!

We are pretty good at it from what I've seen so far, that there are contests abroad, to see who can type in the fastest texts.

However, being the fastest doesn't neccessarily mean the most accurate.

The need for speed has quashed 'spelling and gramatical' context to the point that we are merely 'grunting' out emoticons and a few alphabetical letters conjoined to indicate a single word.

Our human tribe knows that (lol) means laughing out loud, and we are capable of discerning what the smiley face means.

It might be only for financial practical reasons (phone card costs etc.) that we limit our vocabulary to a few strokes of a keypad button, but IMO, these habit forming dialogues might eventually overshadow and replace pertinent ways of intellectual thinking.

Our cavemen ancestors would be proud of us today.

Mobile texts harm written language

"Unga Bunga".

just read the forums here and you'll see how bad the writing has become.

It has become so bad that I wouldn't be surprised to actually hear some kid use the term lol when speaking.

Originally posted by Crakeur
It has become so bad that I wouldn't be surprised to actually hear some kid use the term lol when speaking.

True, I hear kids say that all the time, here in France, I just find that so ridiculous.

Amen on that one crakeur! I agree with you totally my friend!

I've seen different writing (typing) styles from regular posters on ATS.

Some, I come to expect, and look forward to their 'eloquence of speech'.
It brightens my day to see people using language skills to the utmost.

Though, I don't care for the long-winded ones, yet I do give these people credit for putting at least one iota of thought behind their postings that show intelligence.

It's the posters that type in here, as though they were text-messaging their buds on the cell phone.

heres an example of wht i mean

Cell phone 'talk' not only diminishes the importance of articulate and grammatical speech, it takes the meaning out of a persons post by having other readers consistantly decifering the abbreviated trivial.

Let the forums be a place where creative thought can flourish in a properly constructive linguistic style.



[edit on 26-4-2007 by TheDuckster]

Personally, when I text, I do so properly. Punctuation, grammar etc. Many, if not all of my friends do the same. I don't know anyone who uses "txt" speak.

Just for info, I'm not an old fogie, but 24 and my friends are the same age. Maybe we missed out on the dawn of the grammatically stupid, but point being, not everyone is a chav retard.

I've berated people on this very forum for using "txt" speak before. It's horrible to read and makes you look stupid. One poster typed as if he was speaking, so his very accent was typed out. Instead of "that", he would type "dat", or "this" would be "dis". Makes you look extremely dumb, in my opinion. Height of laziness too.

EDIT: There I am taking the moral high ground and I have some spelling mistakes.... Doh!

[edit on 26/4/07 by stumason]

I had an exchange or two with a kid who was posting on the site and I had to get his text translated as I understood every 8th word. Sure, I'm not a kid so the kidspeak might confuse me at times but the combination of pathetic grammar and spelling along with what I assume is a mix of lazy kids unwilling to type out complete words and the assumption that wtf or ttyl is an actual word makes for very difficult reading.

We are living in a fast-pased environment and fast-pased technology. One of these 2 might surpass the other at some time or another, yet luxuries like the cell phone, quickly turn into necessities for a variety of reasons.
_____________________
There is something that needs to be said on the importance of receiving a proper education; that some of todays' youth doesn't seem to (willingly?) integrate into their lives. They will receive training, then at some point, it fizzles out; only to revert back into the sloppy-joes, that we all can be. Bastardization of the English language et al, comes as a result from text messaging.
_____________________
Look at how many schools are 'banning' cell phone useage in our schools. Teachers are seeing this as interferring with education and had to put a stop to it.

I applaud them.












[edit on 26-4-2007 by TheDuckster]

CNN related article

www.cnn.com...

I don't think that the written language will ever disappear, regardless of
how technologically advanced we become.

I mean consider the fact that there are many things you have to write for
security reasons, and the fact that soft-copy media is not something you
can trust 100%, thusly you either have printed, written or stored back-up
copies.


I do have to agree that some kids do take it to far, I know a girl who
uses lol, brb, and two or three other chatcronyms occasionally in speech,
though she does not do it accidentally.


Anyways though, languages change as time progresses, and even though
we may not like the way that they do, in the end we really can not do
anything if the majority of the population adopts those changes.

Originally posted by iori_komei
I don't think that the written language will ever disappear...

Anyways though, languages change as time progresses, and even though
we may not like the way that they do, in the end we really can not do
anything if the majority of the population adopts those changes.

I agree.

I, personally, don't see the written language disappearing, though, like I said previouslyl, I worry as to what 'basterdization' would befall our lanuguage when Cell phone texting arises.

'Webster' would just roll over in his grave.

At the time I was told this by an elder, I was incredulous and did not believe it. I was told that people who were educated say ..some 100 years ago had on the average a vocabulary of some 4000 to 4500 words and knew what they meant. They knew also what they did not mean. What got to me at the time was that this elder also told me that the average person today has a vocabulary of some 1000 to 1200 words and most of them four letter words. I have since that time had numerous occasions to have this verified merely by listening to others. By this I mean people of letters and those without.

Another source of verification is reading books over 100 years olde. THe average language skills have substantialy deteriorated. It is obvious to me that peoples educated in the English languge over a 100 years ago could read and write.

On the other hand I use my transceiver and antennas to broadcast morse code. In morse code there are used many abbreviations in the intrest of brevity.
While we often refer to these abbreviations in speaking with other Hams, we do not generally use such when speaking with ordinary peoples. They would not understand the meanings.

I too am concerned with so obvious a deterioration of the English language down to a newspaper level or below. It indicates the possibility of not being able to communicate a idea or concept outside of some gutteral four letter word or God forbid an abbreviation to describe a base emotion. No real depth of communication seems possible here, only crass and base expressions of consumption emotions. Catch phrases often not of our own devising or thinking is what we see among so many. THe symbols and telltale signs of a consumption oriented people..not a individually thinking people. A people who define themselves by what they consume not by that of which they can accomplish or understand by individuality. THese people seem to become like xerox copies of a program. With many of them you know immediately once they open their mouths.

I understand that to which the original poster is alluding. I agree with thier concerns.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Hi guys, trying to join in few discussions on the site that I may be qualified to talk about. So:

While I agree that the rising prevailance of 'txt' speak is an issue, I don't agree that it is killing the need for written language. Sending a text is in itself a form of written communication. Whilst it may not be grammatically correct Standard English, it is still a valid form of writing.
People can and do develop an individual lexis, register and grammar for their texts. This in is no way a bad thing. Language lives. It develops; evolves.
I hate it when my GCSE and A Level students spell things phonetically but who is to say that the next part of the development of English isn't to do away with some of the more abscure spelling rules, etc?
Language changes. Period. While some of us may appreciate the way it is now, we cannot stop it evolving.
Do we use 'thee/thou' now? No. We use 'you' and it works perfectly well.
I may not like it, but things change and we know that English is a bastardised germanic language anyway, so let's chill and see what happens.

thats what the OED is for - letting us know when things become archaic and we are too old.....

feel free to disagree....

And yes - my spelling is variable on that post, but I'm typing on a laptop, drinking Magners and smoking. Cut me some slack. I know some of you will point it out. Example - Abscure - Obscure lol

Originally posted by more_serotonin_pls
And yes - my spelling is variable on that post, but I'm typing on a laptop, drinking Magners and smoking. Cut me some slack. I know some of you will point it out. Example - Abscure - Obscure lol

Yes I am aware that it is said that language is evolving. I dont necessarily think so. I think in some instances that language is de evolving. Yes I am also aware that some fields use language and abbreviations peculear to that field.
I am also aware that in certain fields German is a more precise language for getting meanings across than English. Some precise meanings are lost in using English.
Most of us never have any need to consider this but if you work in certain fields it becomes a factor. It is not osbcure.

Thanks,
Orangetom

De-evolving? I'm not sure I understand what you mean.
Surely the point of written communication is to express something clearly. If that can be done in a simpler way then language is becoming more efficient. All one has to do to see this is to look at the development of poetry - modern poems are just as beautiful as older ones, and they are written in a much simpler language, generally - in terms of accessibility and vocabulary.
So, from a certain viewpoint it is quite the opposite.

I was not suggesting that German was a more accurate language, just pointing out that all languages have developed and simplified over time and as usage has become more widespread.

Originally posted by more_serotonin_pls

I was not suggesting that German was a more accurate language, just pointing out that all languages have developed and simplified over time and as usage has become more widespread.

Indeed, some more structured languages can be very precise. This is both a bonus and a pain. It is good if you know exactly what you want to say, but conveying a vague idea or if you are learning the language it makes it tricky. (FYI, I speak German as well as English)

English on the other hand is so fluid and adaptable that one can literally make up a word. After some explanation, others can use that new word. I've seen many examples of a friend using a new word, then we all use it. Before we know it, others can be using it as well in other social cirlces..So and so forth.

In other langauges, such behaviour is much harder to do. The French, for example, have a committee set up to invent new words for new things, usually to combat the English words that can be made up on the spot..

Ahh...Neologisms - you gotta love 'em.

I would have thought (but in no way know) that this would happen in most languages. Actually, now you mention it, it seems to be that most new words entering other languages (that I have come across) are Anglicised.

Hmm. Interesting. Hope I'm not ruining a thread here.

Also, are we not all communicating here rather well? And on rather complex issues at that.

[edit on 28-4-2007 by more_serotonin_pls]

Honestly, English is a language that is meant to change and evolve,
I mean just look at it, 27% of the words are from French, 28% are
from Latin, and about 15% are from other languages.

Heck, it changes fast enough that it's noticeable, I mean just look at the
English language in 1998, now look at it now, I can think of at least two
new words that have been created and have become true words, those
of course being blog and Podcast.

Should it not have been 'blog? Don't tell me the ommisive apostrophe has been abandoned now?

Seriously - good point and well made.



[edit on 28-4-2007 by more_serotonin_pls]

Well, obviously langauges can make up new words, but it is considerably easier to do in english than, for example, German...

Then again, as English is my 1st language, it might be a personal perception, but very rarely will we be using a "new" word derived from another langauge. Even if we do, it gets "Anglicised" and morphed, often into something that means an entirely different thing....