The modern society, where proper communication commands high significance, has a major concern regarding the improper usage of English. The English language is the universal lingua franca or common language, and it has evolved over the years to its current status by accepting words and phrases from other languages. In recent times, however, there exists a tendency of this language being inaccurately being developed by its users through the introduction of a chaotic combination of varying styles and usages which has entailed a degradation of this language. The vast changes in technology have transformed the concept of communication and the present-day world boasts of multistream means for communication. The different methods also brought to the scene different styles for each person to speak or write in a different manner when addressing different audiences. This paper basically focuses on how students communicate differently to their parents as compared to their friends and attempts to analyze the change in their approaches while addressing different segments and also dwells on whether this aspect adversely affects the formal writing style that students should learn.
Ironically, the rapid development of international economics and politics appeared to be the principal cause for not only the expansion of English but also its deterioration in terms of the problematic style that evolved as a result. It is necessary to emphasize that the communication process is of great importance for people fulfilling the purpose of sharing information, or even as a form of entertainment. The era of industrialization, technological development, and intercultural cooperation impacted the emergence of new lexical units to be used in formal and informal styles. It is necessary to underline the idea that modern people do not take care of communication awareness that is why we can observe the mixture of styles and confusion in communicative situations. (Orwell 202).
With the advent of the latest technologies, people have been using different types of methods for communication, such as email, voice and text chat, SMS, Instant messaging (IM), etc. The increased use of such methods, which have become so common, resulted in the emergence of an influx of communication and people felt the need for shortening words, phrases, and sentences to avoid wastage of time. This, in turn, entailed the carving of a new style in written English. Thus, formal writing, to a certain extent, has been replaced by slang language, inaccurate phrases, and expressions. Technological comfort and conveniences of staying in touch with one another have thus nullified the meaning and context of formal writing. Communicative failures are frequently observed due to the lack of speaker’s professionalism. According to George Orwell, the modern English language is the reflection of bad habits spreading through imitation and illustrates overindulgence in cultural, political, and economical spheres. Orwell discloses the analysis of basic communicative mistakes connected with two principle reasons: lack of precision and staleness of imaginary. The analysis of communicative ways gave an opportunity to evaluate the incompetence and vagueness of modern language filled with a mixture of inappropriate phrases, and lexical units.
Above all, we cannot play ducks and drakes with a native battery of idioms which prescribes egregious collocations of vocables as the Basic put up with for tolerate, or put at a loss for bewilder. (Orwell, ‘Harold Laski’)
It is necessary to stress that in several cases situations arise where the language chosen for a particular scenario is not appropriate to the context. Besides, people are not concerned with the proper lexical meaning of the units to be used, and more often than not, they use slang and abbreviations, and shortened forms which are not standard practice in a formal writing environment.
Concerned over the deterioration of language, modern linguists are involved in the analysis of relationships between formal writing and instant communication in order to identify the principal mistakes that compromise the effectiveness of language. It also needs to be stated that special attention is paid to the language being used when communicating through computer media. According to Baron, 1984, “[Computer-mediated Communication] was a possible agent of language change, and subsequent research documented the development and use of short, fragmented sentences; emoticons, such as smileys, abbreviations, and initialisms…’ (Jacobs, 204). These computer-mediated communications allow people to send their message across by showing how they feel, and their expressions through sketches of faces, symbols, and abbreviations. The shortened forms of written words, phrases, and sentences make it difficult for the receiver to discern the sender’s meaning. This increases the chances of misinterpretation. Besides, such practices also end up transforming a person’s writing style which is especially evident in the case of students who need to adhere to the formal style of writing for different purposes.
Our speech is a sophisticated method of information sharing and emotional expression; nevertheless, it is also considered to be the way of demonstrating the attitude of the speaker and reflecting the level of personal education. Very often the usage of professionalisms and jargon is not the marker of skillfulness and mature characteristics, but it underlines the inability of the speaker to select appropriate equivalents in the spoken language for the purpose of making the speech simple and available for understanding. One of the most effective ways to grab the attention of the listeners is to show personal interest in them; such questions, as example, ‘Did you have a nice weekend?’ – ‘Bad’ or ‘Yes’, cannot be considered as involving and effective. (Harper, 2008)
So, the process of communication is not that simple; the way people speak underlines their status and language knowledge, as well as attitude to the person they speak to. In order for communication to be effective, it is important to take into account basic linguistic rules and standards.
The significance of language emerges from the fact that it is the primary means for humans to express their thoughts and emotions. Its beauty and purpose lie in its ability to communicate meaning to others who receive the communication. Improper usages not only mar the beauty of the language but also nullify the meaning of the communication. The practice of using non-standard words and phrases, writing sentences that do not conform to the rules of grammar, etc are some of the features that characterize the current trend in writing styles. This will have an adverse effect on the formal writing skills of students because such practices imbibe in them a wrong sense of language.
There is no doubt that language is not only an indicator of a person’s education or level of sophistication, but it also needs to be seen as a representation of the entire country’s culture and heritage. Thus, writing good language and keeping up its tenets is an absolute necessity. We should not allow improper usages and other elements to creep into our daily communication processes and thereby lose the dignity of our language.
Works Cited
Jacobs, G. We Learn What We Do: Developing a Repertoire of Writing Practices in an Instant Messaging World.
Harper, C. The Communication Situation. 2008. Web.
Orwell, G. Politics and the English Language. 1946.