I am guilty of being nostalgic; I admit this. However, I think everyone is to a certain degree. We resist the change that other people bring. The “other” people usually take the form of the younger generation. We are used to a certain established pattern, and we do not like that pattern to be challenged. But language itself is a result of that changing pattern. If you spoke any slang at all when you were younger, and we all did it, then you are also guilty as charged.
If one looks at the language of Chaucer and then at Shakespeare, there was a dramatic change in a short amount of time. I am convinced that this is what is happening now. The language is changing. Just as “you” used to be only plural, other words will morph and adapt according to the needs of the younger, technological generation. Am I saying that I look forward to reading papers full of abbreviated words and smiley faces – absolutely not. But I do accept that technology has changed the way we speak and read. When will the transformation be complete? I do not think it will ever be complete, and the younger generation will continue to complain against the generation after them. I think it becomes to job of the language arts teacher to attempt to preserve the integrity of the language as it changes. We cannot stop the change; the most we can do is to guide it and hope it has a safe landing – TTYL!
2 responses so far ↓
1 kelly01 // Nov 7, 2006 at 10:59 pm
I agree that it is our job to guide our students to be able to navigate the waters of changing language. However, I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing. Do we really need to preserve the “integrity” of language when it is constantly changing and evolving? At some point, won’t our efforts to preserve language become irrelevant because no one uses certain spellings or follows certain grammar rules anymore? I do think there is an appropriate language for formal academic writing as well as a different appropriate language for Internet writing. I hope it will be some solace to you though to remind yourself that every time you see a “2” instead of a “to” in a paper, it means your student is writing in some form or fashion and you can use those opportunities to further teach about grammar and language.
2 chris // Nov 10, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Ah - a split infinitive! (Last sentence of previous comment) A real dinosaur winces at such moments - and it’s not affectation; merely a function of our education. But sometimes we want to be able to write in such a way as to satisfy all readers - and we’re doing our students a disservice if we don’t equip them to do this.