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The transient nature of the English language

 

            The metamorphosis of English should not be looked upon as a degradation of the language, but rather the evolution of a means of communication to suit our ever-changing needs. Language is as much a part of our culture as are the way we think, the way we dress, our inventions or our food. Language can be considered a reflection of our culture and since our cultural identity is dynamic, it is only natural that language should adapt to suit current cultural trends.
             As we invent machines and objects which simplify processes in our lives, we tend to apply the same simplifications to other aspects of our lives. We live in an instant world now, because we put a lot of emphasis on achieving results in the shortest frame of time. We have instant coffee, digital cameras which take photos which we can review almost instantly, fast food such as McDonald's and Burger King, cell phones so that we can get in touch with someone wherever they are, and other various comforts we take for granted. It is only natural that our language should follow suit and be less constricted by the old-fashioned rules of grammar. The majority of us no longer try to abide by all the grammatical rules but rather, we emphasize clarity and concision when communicating our ideas. Most of us are no longer concerned with the difference between the usage of "you and me" or "you and I" because those two phrases convey the same meaning. With the advent of the internet, e-mail and instant messaging have become increasingly popular as a means of communication. Since most internet communication is done by typing, users abbreviate words to reduce the time it takes to get a message across. Words such as "you" have become "u" and phrases such as "talk to you later" have become "ttyl" in Net English.
             There appears to be two types of people with differing attitudes toward the English language. The first type of person is a language purist, often highly educated in the grammar, syntax and the prescriptive rules of English.


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