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Recommended: Language and globalization

Language is constantly evolving around us. For an example, just compare modern English with the language of fifty years ago. While the core of English has not changed, popular terms and phrases are completely different. These days, referring to something as ‘nifty’ would seem foolish. Our language is in the midst of a huge upheaval as it changes from being primarily speech based to being text focused. In 2b or not 2b, David Crystal argues that this is a positive change. I am not inclined to agree. Txt Speak, as I will refer to it, is nothing but a threat to the English language and society as a whole.

Let us begin by examining language as a whole, and it’s role in society. At it’s core, language is a way of expressing information. Theoretically, any message transmitted can be considered a language. Language could easily have evolved from something as simple as a series of grunts to warn about a horde of wolves. As language evolves, more and more complicated ideas can be expressed. One might argue that the most important part of a language, however, is how well it can express information to a broad spectrum of people; No matter how well one can express themselves in a language, if no one can understand it then the language is useless. I believe wholeheartedly that txt speak will, if left unchecked, cause the downfall of society.

Why, you might ask, is one language more dangerous then others? In his article ‘I H8 TXT MSGS’, John Humphrys states that the onslaught of simplified, shorthand language is “Destroying (English): pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary.” I disagree with this idea: A language is not inherently bad because it is simple- rather the opposite. A simple ...

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...used offline, or even be blended with offline language. Big changes are in store for the world. The question is where we stand our ground- fighting to keep our language the same is not essential, but fighting to keep our language shared is wildly important.

Works Cited

http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/teflin/article/viewFile/240/170

Mcworter, John. "Is Texting Killing the English Language?" Time Ideas. Time Magazine, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.

Humphrys, John. "I H8 Txt Msgs: How Texting Is Wrecking Our Language." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 24 Sept. 2007. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.

Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1961. Print.

Perrett, Gillian. "Globalization and the De-Anglicization of English." Teflin Journal. TEFLIN, n.d. Web. .

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