2B or not 2B
The advent of Internet communications and text messaging have resulted in the invention of a language that is increasingly distant from the rules of the English language it is based on. Having successfully etched its place in todays society, it continues to evolve in tandem with the ingenuity of the online community.
There used to be a time, in the quaint era of letter writing, when the acronym LOL referred to lots of love or lots of luck. Then came the era when writing via electronic communications became ubiquitous and those phrases were swiftly dethroned. As history would have it, LOL evolved into laugh out loud.
Texting, instant messaging and writing on social media platforms, all of which are mostly done using smartphones these days, have encouraged people to convey messages as succinctly as one possibly could, and led to the development of a new mobile language. Rules that the English language abided by were abandoned in this realm. Efforts were put into modifying the language instead and in the process, new norms were created.
There are a variety of conventions coming into play in this modified language sometimes referred to as textism. Abbreviations, acronyms, lack of capitalisations, excessive capitalisations, absence of punctuations and substitution of letters with numerals are some of the many elements unique to this modified language commonly used across messaging and social media platforms. Even news sites have jumped on the bandwagon, using acronyms and hashtags in their social media postings.
Despite the prevalence of textism, response to it has been polarising. Those passionate about the English language are perturbed by the popularity and have denounced its prevalent use. Of the view that textism aversely affects peoples vocabulary and their abilities to discern between proper and improper use of the English language, those against this shift are wary.
Are we able to differentiate between traditional English language and mobile language and use the right one in a given situation?
Antagonists concerns are further aggravated by how such mobile language is infiltrating situations that call for the use of proper English. They argue that textism will drive future generations into illiteracy and eventually cause the death of the English language.
Imagine the horror then when acronyms like LOL, OMG, FYI and questionable words like twerk, derp, selfie were added to the Oxford English Dictionary. This is one of the worlds principal English language dictionaries and their move to include these words which can come across as shocking is accused of being one of the reasons why English is dying.
Theres no denying that this move sets one thinking. Should textism be considered English?
Are we able to differentiate between traditional English language and mobile language and use the right one in a given situation?
Those arguing for the acceptance of textism definitely think so. But language is a vibrant evolving animal, Graeme Diamond, chief editor of new words for the Oxford dictionary says in response to the resistance to accept changes in the language. The fact that there is a dedicated team on the lookout for new words to add to the dictionary says a lot about the evolution the English language is undergoing anyway.
In contrast to the anxiety that engulfs those against the popularisation of textism, those in favour of it are optimistic about the element of duality it gives language. As John McWhorter, author and associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, puts it, the new language enables people to be effectively bilingual in formal and informal English even though they technically refer to the same foundational language. Even within the various mobile communication platforms, the modified language is not applied in the same way. People do not communicate the same way they do in Reddit as they do in Twitter, Instagram or in Whatsapp. Though not a conscious effort, they are constantly altering their language to suit the norms of a particular platform. This changeability of the language thay is attributed to peoples ability to constantly adapt and discern is exactly what proponents believe would prevent them from using this informal language in formal settings.
Another issue that those who do not support the new language take an issue with is the use of emojis. An advanced version of emoticons, which are simple icons that mimic facial expressions, emojis are said to be akin to a regression in the evolution of language. It is thought that replacing words with icons are equivalent to disengaging the part of the brain responsible for language. However, those in support of these rather iconic expressions like the linguist Gretchen McCulloch are of the view that using emojis supplement language since they enhance the quality of communication by explicitly conveying emotions.
So what can we make out of all these? Mobile language is definitely more closely related to speech than with writing itself. Terming this new language fingered speech, McWhorter suggests that people are writing the way they speak. In this case, it is not the modified language that is influencing the spoken language but the other way round. Having said that, it is not hard to see that fingered speech also influences the way people write. Its frequent use has made it permissible and almost legitimate in contexts in which English would otherwise be used. Children and teenagers in particular who may not have a firm enough grasp of the English language will find it hard to distinguish between the two and thus use them interchangeably or in combination as if they are one and the same.
While the use of textism remains debatable, McCulloch sums it up aptly: Emoji and other forms of creative punctuation are the digital equivalent of making a face or a silly hand gesture while youre speaking. Youd feel weird having a conversation in a monotone with your hands tied behind your back, but thats kind of what its like to text in plain vanilla Standard English. ag