Since the Industrial Revolution, technology has permeated and become an integral part of our everyday lives. In fact, a life without technology seems almost impossible to imagine. Almost everyone, around the globe, has access to technology in one form or another. Consequently this type of technology has become ingrained into our culture. Its roots are so deep that it is now peculiar to see someone without a smartphone than with one. Consequently, smartphones and the Internet have radically changed the manner in which we communicate and how we communicate with one another. Our speech has metamorphosed so much from that of our grandparents that it almost seems like a foreign language due to the incorporation of slang and “text talk.” With the sudden surge of email, blogs, and instant messaging that occurred within the last couple of decades, the impact that technology has on our linguistics has become more pronounced. Technology has helped to bridge the gap between people by allowing us to communicate as easily as we breathe. On this note, one would think that the dawn of the Era of Technology would give birth to a renaissance of the English language but, instead, the converse is taking place. With such widespread prevalence of technology such as smartphones and computers, the degradation of the English language is a problem now more than ever. Computers are considered standard in a student’s arsenal of weapons used to tackle not only school but also life in general. Computers have the potential to be one of the greatest assets to a student, especially when it comes to writing essays and homework, but they are being used as a crutch when it comes writing sentences with proper grammar, syntax and spelling. Students are becoming mor... ... middle of paper ... ...echnology should be heralded as the greatest benefactor to linguistics and language. Instead, it seems as if it just may be its downfall if left unmitigated. Technology such as the Internet, cell phones, text messaging and social such have impacted language and English in a variety of ways. E-mail and text messaging have made writing an everyday occurrence. Computers have made writing quicker and much easier. With such easy access to information as Peter Diamandis put it in his book Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, “we are living in a world of information and communication abundance,” (10) and with the rise in popularity of technology, we see the English language deteriorating more and more until one day its form in the future will be completely unrecognizable to its predecessor much as Old English seems foreign when compared to the English of today.
1. The main point Kirk Johnson, writer of “Today’s Kids Are, Like, Killing the English Language” published by the New York Times, illustrates is a shift in the way society nowadays communicates and expresses themselves with the emergence of technology and other forms of media in this new era compared to the precedent and placid century.
“Your Ability to Can Even: A Defense of Internet Linguistics” by Tia Baheri, is a great read. The article focuses on the new language that has been created among Internet users and how some critics think it is a negative impact on the English language and how others, such as Baheri herself, think that there is nothing wrong with the change what so ever. After reading the article, I agree with Tia Baheri, I also think that language is as she states, “Supposed to flex and shape itself to convey what we mean to say as directly and efficiently as possible”. Yes, some who do not spend a lot of time on the Internet may not understand some of the newly used phrases but for others it is the best way to express themselves.
Turkle, Sherry. “How Computers Change the Way We Think”. The Bedford Guide for College Writers, with Reader, Research Manual, and Handbook. 9th ed. Eds. X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 602-608. Print.
Over the last decade, the English language has taken a great leap forward. And the main reason for that,is modern technology.
Through phones we are able to call upon knowledge at any time but may people do not look at the drawbacks phones take from society. As the technology is released it is impossible to turn back the tides of time the culture must adapt and grow with it over time. Though phones have been invented to create an easier means of communication it is actually having an adverse effect of culture throughout the world. In many places people are growing more inept of having personal communication preferring to have conversations through any digital means such as text messaging, emailing, and snapchat. The growing inability to have one-on-one conversations is easily visible as you can see a couple on a date having an e-date if you go to a café such as Starbucks. The ability to write is also decreasing in schools due to the growing use of SMS language on cyber communication. With interaction both verbal and written on the down slope what Postman lays out in front of us in Technopoly is sadly becoming or has become
Computer has made the life easier by providing various applications and technologies. For example, while computer has replaced typewriter, it helps the students to become a better writer as they can “revise text, rearrange paragraphs, and experiment with the tone and shape of an essay” () while using word processing. Thus, the computer helps the students to improvise their writing. Human relationship with co...
English spoken today has been deformed by the sense of quickness used to convey messages on devices such as phones or computers. But it's a necessity when trying to talk about something newer or modern. Betty Birner states in her article Is English Changing? "This isn't a bad thing; if English hadn't changed since, say, 1950, we wouldn't have words to refer to modems, fax machines, or cable TV. As long as the needs of language users continue to change, so will the language." It's not always a bad thing for language to change, however it is changing in two ways; One is the good type of change, the other is a far less intuitive way of speaking and communicating.
With the uprising of unique and different forms of communication that technology has popularized comes a debatable controversy on what effect these new digital mediums have on literacy and our daily lives. Texting can lead to declining language and grammar skills, according to researchers. Text messaging has also begun to have an inimical effect on people’s writing skills, and also an indispensable part of our lives; it has developed very expeditiously throughout the world, it is also one of the world’s primary sources of communication. Texting can cause various complications in a student's ability: to conjure proper vocabulary, spell, write and socialize.
In today’s culture, one of the fastest ways to communicate with others is through text messages. Text messages are a form of electronic messages sent from one cell phone to another minimizing the wait time for it to be sent and received. Through time text messages have transformed into its own writing system. From the use of spelling, grammar to the unregulated space in the orthographic regime, text messages have created a distinctive linguistic identity. This texting speech also known as “SMS Langauge” has gotten linguists eager at observing what they are considering “the biggest ever language revolution” (Kumar, "A Linguistic Study Of Abbreviations In SMS"). Text messages have a lot of underlying meaning composed in its language from being its own written form to being an expression of text users. Because of the rapid popularity and addictions texting has caused, linguists are researching whether texting language affects student’s literacy when it comes to language skills.
In the contemporary world, English has pervaded almost all spheres of life. Extensive amount of communication all around the globe is conducted in some dialect of English: American, British, Welsh, Canadian et al. Recently, a new “simplified” version of English has been developed, christened Globish, with the fundamental aim of facilitating communication between non-native interlocutors of English. Globish limits its emphasis on effective and efficient communication, rather than an elegant one. It is based on a “utilitarian” vocabulary that doesn’t set much store by the form, grammar or syntax. This paper will, in its central argument, attempt to critically examine the idea of a globalised English and its implications on the
Contrary to what the early detractors of the American English language used to say, American English is not an offensive offshoot of real English, but has over the centuries made its own mark in the world of language and communication, and is also poised at this juncture in human history to actually slowly become the main dialect of English the world over due to the America-centric communication and technological advances made over the past few decades. It is hoped that this essay has given but a glimpse of not only what American English has become, but what it can yet become should America remain a social, cultural, and technological leader in years to come.
Owston, R. D, Murphy, S, & Wideman, H. H, (1992). [pdf]. The Effect of Word Processing on Students’ Writing Quality and Revision Strategies. Research in the teaching of English, 26(3). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40171308
In spite of the many benefits of computers, there are also quite a few arguments about them, one of which is the bad effect some believe they are having on children's education and learning. Before computers became really popular where almost every household had one students did research papers manually and used a type writer to type papers or hand write their papers, illiteracy is a big issue, and many people say that computers are the reason for that. Younger students these days are asked to type papers which may not be a problem for older students but for younger students they need to do assignments that are hand written to develop their writing skills. If a younger student is typing all their assignments it can have a great affect on their grammar because they are using the comp...
In the last twenty-five years, advancements in technology combined with the unbridled growth of social media, has dramatically altered not only the methods used to communicate but the linguistics as well. The meteoric rise in the use of new media sources have resulted in the creation of a type of shorthand English. With today’s social media, abbreviations such as LOL, OMG, BRB, and ROFL are easily recognizable by its followers yet remain a mystery to those not connected. The preference of the younger generation for social media such as texting, Twitter, and Facebook over face–to-face communication has not only had an effect on communication skills, but has also led to a further disconnect with the adult population. Twenty years ago, when a family went out to dinner it was considered family time; an opportunity for all the family members to get caught up with what was going on in each other’s life. Today, watching that same family outing, one is much more likely to see each of them sitting at the same table, looking down at a smart phone texting, and very little if any co...
In regards to Language Arts education, the prominence of word processors has helped to ease the work of editing and rewriting. Built in spelling ...