Some people argue that the new
technologies and their new words and grammar are ruining the English Language.
CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) are now part of our daily lives, believe
it or not. Every day, we look down on our phones to check our social media and to
send texts and messages, we discuss and talk to other people through chatrooms
and social networking sites. In fact, there are 3.84 billion active social
media users around the world, which represents 45% of the world’s population
and it is likely to continue increasing in the next few years (1). See? It is part of daily lives of many people.
However, does it really change the English Language for the worse? There are
many myths about texting and how it destroys the English Language, such as “text
messages are full of abbreviations”, “abbreviations are new-fangled”, “kids use
textese in essays and exams and are failing as a result” and of course “The
English Language is being destroyed”. Those who answered yes to my question
would probably agree with these myths, but they are called myths for a reason.
Are you ready for the reality now? If that’s the case then keep on reading. Professor
David Crystal, a British Linguist, proved in an interview that those were just
myths. “Text messages are full of abbreviation”, wrong, in fact only 10% of the
words we typed in are abbreviated. “Abbreviations are new-fangled”, well
actually they were from 100 years ago. People used to play language games many
years ago and used abbreviations. “Kids use textese in essays and exams and are
failing as a result”, kids don’t do it all the time. Invigilators were
interviewed about this matter and they even stated that “there are the odd ones
but it is very unlikely to find essays and exam answers that include
abbreviations and text features”. School children were also interviewed and one
even said “it’s stupid and we would lose marks if we did that”. Lastly, “the
English language is being destroyed”. No. The English Language and changing and
evolving, it’s not being destroyed. Ever heard of the saying “change is
inevitable”? Well, it also applies to languages, but just because it is
changing doesn’t mean it’s being ruined and destroyed. It just means we’re
improving and adding more features in our language that can be more efficient
when used appropriately, like in texts and social networking sites.
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(1) Battisby, A. (2019). The Latest UK Social Media Statistics
for 2019. United Kingdom: [online] Avocado Social. Retrieved from https://www.avocadosocial.com/latest-social-media-statistics-and-demographics-for-the-uk-in-2019/
