The Evolution of Language
Orly?
I'm an instructor. My degree is in English and Philosophy. I teach College Writing, among a few other courses. However, you will not find a stuffy English teacher's commentary here. Any student of English or languages will tell you that language evolves. It's true! Consider the following example:
Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun
To telle yow al the condicioun
Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,
And whiche they weren, and of what degree,
And eek in what array that they were inne;
This is from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (General Prologue). It is written in Middle English. Middle English is not a variation of the English language, but a period of its evolution as a language.
The translation?
It seems to me in accord with reason
To tell you all the circumstances
Of each of them, as it seemed to me,
And who they were, and of what social rank,
And also what clothing that they were in;
Our example will serve as proof enough that language does indeed evolve. That is not what is under consideration. Our focus is why our language is evolving, and the importance of the changes taking place. We are witnessing a rapid evolution of the English language. While detractors (meaning those stuffy English instructors) may claim that we are witnessing a de-evolution, I disagree. Changes in language are changes, never 'good' or 'bad.'
Language evolves to suit our needs. When we needed a word that said "Oh, I'm an idiot!" we added "Doh!" to the dictionary. When the use of the word "ain't" became part of every day language, it too was added to the dictionary. Visit Merriam-Webster online to view some of the new words they've added to the Eleventh edition of their dictionary, including "spyware" and "mouse potato." So, "These words make sense," you say. "I can understand what they mean. They should be added to the dictionary. They are part of our vocabulary now." If they are part of our vocabulary, they are part of our language. Do you know what the following "words" mean?
zomg, lol, brb, bbl, w00t, afk, rofl, idk, idc and l33t*
This is Internet slang and leet speak. This form of our language is used online in emails, instant messages, text messages and some PC games. For many, these are comprehensible words, just like "spyware" and "mouse potato."
Many are opposed to this type of slang, claiming it denigrates the English language and detracts from the importance of learning "proper" English. However, this part of our language is adding to the richness and variety that is English. Our youth is taking our language and making it their very own. They claim ownership of it, and use it in creative and interesting ways. It isn't laziness. It's creativity. The Internet required us to find a new way in which to use our language. Saved keystrokes save time and energy. The more time and energy we have, the more productive we can become.
I don't recommend using Internet language on a resume or project proposal. I wouldn't appreciate a term paper written entirely in l33t sp34k. There is a proper place for this slang. But would it be so wrong to see this language on an office memo? After all, a memo is about relaying information quickly and accurately. I would love to read a term paper about l33t sp34k, or a short story that explores an online friendship, where dialogue often involves Internet slang.
My point is that we should not completely discredit this phase in our language's evolution. Rather than complaining and attempting to remove it, let's encourage its use in the proper context.
*translations
zomg - Oh My God (also omg)
lol - Laughing out Loud
brb - Be Right Back
bbl - Be Back Later
w00t - Woohoo! An exclamation of excitement (also woot)
afk, - Away From Keyboard
rofl - Rolling on the Floor Laughing
idk - I Don't Know
idc - I Don't Care
l33t - Elite (also leet)
Published by Pharinet
I'm finding my way through a world of darkness and light, reacting to my generation, those generations before me, and the generations after me, carving my own niche in my time. View profile
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30 Comments
Post a Comment(continued, sorry) and "Bayrisch" as well, so there is little you can explain to me about language change that I don't already know.) Change in language is good, as long as it promotes understanding and free exchange of ideas. (and I can spell, I just don't type well first thing in the morning, sorry!) Still an interesting article.
Maybe I am a "stuffy English teacher" and linguist, but I have to agree with the commenters who so correctly point out that your examples are abreviations, not words. They lack both the precision and clarity of the English language, and while fine in text messaging, most emails (be sure the one you're emailing knows them!), and similar communication, I see them as an abreviated communication, and not language. Words like "clarity," "precision," and so many others that convey powerful meaning have no place in netspeak - and by that I don't mean that they shouldn't be there, I mean they aren't there and can't be given the limitations of the form. This isn't evolution, "imo," simply a 21st century "Morse code." I hope to never see them in writing, be it a term paper or a book, and to never hear them in conversation! (and I speak, besides English, five languages with varying degrees of fluency, and have studied Old and Middle English as well as Old and Middle German - and "Hochdeutsch" a
¥34h (h4µ(3r 1$ (00£, $0 17 £337!
:)
I agree that the evolution of language is a creative way to solve problems and meet needs, and I don't think it's always bad, but I do believe that some of the current changes are making our language less valuable. When we get too sloppy or too into trying to sound impressive (both trends I've noticed in recent years), our language loses clarity, and soon the speaker/writer and listener/reader can become disconnected from each other.
Interesting concept. I love words, and I am not a fan of condensing everything to its basic form.
Another hot topic is the death of languages around the world. National Geographic covered this a little bit (either this month or the month before.) You might want to check it out--it was very interesting.
Mankind was given the ablility to coin words from jump-street. " Now Jehovah God was forming from the ground all the wild beasts of the field, every flying creature of the heavens, fish of the sea, and He began bringing them to the man "to see" what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call it, each living soul, that was its name." Great article with a great perspective. Kudos.
Excellent, well-written analysis. I don't know that saving time and energy in this necessarily way causes a possible increase in productivity, but saving said time at least allows for more conversation to take place. (That is the original reason behind the development of the abbreviated language we seem to have adopted).
I think that most negative opinions regarding such "evolution" are due to lack of understanding and/or reluctance to accept change.
Regardless, excellent article.
Excellent, well-written analysis. I don't know that saving time and energy necessarily in this way causes a possible increase in productivity, but saving said time at least allows for more conversation to take place. (That is the original reason behind the development of the abbreviated language we seem to have adopted).
I think that most negative opinions regarding such "evolution" are due to lack of understanding and/or reluctance to accept change.
Regardless, excellent article.
I also like the OED method for determining which words are in the dictionary: if a word has been used independently by two different authors, it goes in the OED (The Oxford English Dicitonary)