The Languages of Our Future: How the Next Generation May be Affected by the Internet and Poor Grammar

                With the world becoming less and less dependent on good old fashioned pen-and-paper methods, and literacy standards dropping faster than any stock market in 2007, we are faced with a generation of young adults and youths that have developed grammatical habits with complete disregard for any sort of formal written structure. It is true that high schools will still implement curriculums with classic and contemporary literary and artistic greats; Shakespeare, Salinger, McCarthy to name a few, but it appears as though these works are not having any sort of measurable or visible effect on the latest generation of high school graduates.

                One could speculate that the reason for this is the amount of time spent reading text with proper, formal writing, compared with the time spent dwelling on message boards, instant messaging clients, or social networks online, where the text is littered with a poor excuse for the English language. This of course is not exclusive to English – most languages have their own slang used online or in other social situations outside of the classroom – however it appears to be almost completely exclusive to internet users. Why is it that this generation of burgeoning young adults feel the need to carelessly disregard the form and style that has been developed over centuries of communication?

                A parallel can be drawn between this rapid evolution of language and the qualms scientist have over genetic engineering, or hasty advances in modern medicine. While the short term benefits may be nice (consider healing a patient short term, or shortening a word and typing just a few letters or in some cases a single letter), the long term effects may cause irrevocable damage (perhaps the patient contracts a disease that they would have otherwise been immune to, had it not been for that previous treatment, and as for the language, perhaps a rift is formed between those who understand this shorthand communication, and those who do not understand, or even misinterpret it).

                The challenge for the generation in question will not only be maintaining the ability to communicate with one another, but teaching said methods to the following generations. If a kindergarten teacher does not know the proper use of homophones “your” and “you’re,” whilst a third grade teacher is using analogous pronunciations for “our” and “are,” their (or they’re, or there in some opinions!) students will be subjected to difficulty in expressing themselves as well. There are, of course, a plethora of similar examples of common errors in grammar, spelling, enunciation, and pronunciation being used by today’s generation of young adults, and they will only pass these on to the following generation.

                This message is not simply food for thought, but also a call to action. Whether caused by increased social activity due to increased means of interacting, or due to sheer laziness (ex.: “spell-checking” in the typing world, the destruction of vocabulary and language must not be taken lightly. There is a reason why we have the structure and form we do today, or had yesterday at the least, and as a society, it would be a shame to have to find out that reason the hard way. Scratching images into cave walls is not a preferred method in this day and age, and many homeowners may have something to say – or carve – about their friends destroying the living room wall just to get their point across.