Evening all who are reading this....
I've just finished reading the Merchant article from our course notes on language evolution within communications, looking at teenage girls.
I have to say, my mother does this to me in text messages and it drives me insane because I have to translate her texts into 'proper English' in order to understand them. To me, this hinders communication because I haven't developed speed in reading this kind of language. I still text with full words and punctuation. I can't seem to help it.... It just seems more polite and considerate to the receiver to do it that way rather than have it appear that you couldn't take the time to be bothered.
But, having said that, I think that my time is definitely coming to an end and we are getting to the stage where English has two forms of language. The formal kind and the informal, communication kind. This has almost been accepted thus far with email letter writing which isn't really expected anymore to follow the formal rules of letter writing that we all learned as kids. It's just a matter of time before the 'grammatically correct' email becomes the formal one and the more relaxed language style becomes the norm.
I'm not really against this either. What is language for really when it comes down to it? Communication between individuals. So if it can be understood, it is fulfilling its function. I know, when my students are chatting to each other online, they are using almost a code to each other that I can hardly fathom. They would never dream of writing a homework like that but why not? I can't see that I'd have a problem with that. Of course, I'm not an English teacher, I teach Science so I'm more interested in them being able to communicate ideas.
Anyway, really liked this paper....
Reggie
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3 comments:
Reggie,
Your suggestion that the English language has split into two (or more) distinct languages depending on the age of communicators, the tool used etc. struck a chord with me.
I studied French from 10 years old all the way to university degree level. By graduation, I translated elaborate and sometimes quite technical texts both from English to French and vice versa. I promptly moved to Paris because I didn't know what I wanted to do and I 'already knew French'. It took around 6 months before I felt anywhere near fluent speaking French with people my own age! Written French has remained to this day very structured and changes very little. A group of scholars literally have to convene and vote on whether new words can be admitted to the language. Spoken French on the other hand, is a living, organic language whose vocab and grammar changes with time and tendancies.
Neither is better nor worse that the other but heaven help you if you submit an essay that contains slang and listen for the raucous laughter if you talk to your peers using the same language that you read in the papers.
Seems to me that what's happening to the English language now, has applied to French (and probably other languages) for as long as anyone can remember.
Cheers, Jo Weston
p.s. deleted previous comment as I rudely forgot to sign off!
Hi Reggie,
I face this dilemma on a daily basis in the college where I teach: the female students come from a very conservative background, and the sms is their only way of communication with the outside world. They use the text message system all the time, and like you, I need time to decipher what’s been sent to me.
I don’t mind this, but when students use this system to write entire essays, then I find it a bit too progressive for me.
Prensky (2001) stated that there are two types of people: “Digital Natives” (the new generation of students) and “Digital Immigrants” (educators), and for the immigrants to understand the natives, they need to change. The problem I see now is that the pace of change is much slower with the immigrants, which creates a big gap in language. Technology plays a big role in diminishing this gap but we have to remember that “teaching is a communicative process with the aim of enabling and enhancing learning, and this does not change with technology” (Ljosa, 1998)
References
Ljosa E. (1998). The role of university teachers in a digital era. EDEN Conference, Bologna. Retrieved August 5, 2006 from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/1998/eden98/Ljosa.html
Prensky, M. (2001, September/October). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved July 22, 2006, from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
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