Technology has become a
big part of our lives in today’s world and as a result, it has affected the way
we speak and communicate. For example, teens and even some adults nowadays use
shorthand methods and words such as “brb” or “gtg, ill ttyl”. From looking at
this example and the warnings from authors, the conclusion can be made that
language is devolving.
George
Orwell, in Politics and the English
Language, explains how, “…the writer either has a meaning and cannot
express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent
as to whether his words mean anything or not” (Orwell 2). Often times, writers
may have and even students may have concepts that they want to portray but
cannot get their word across. They just speak the language and don’t think
about what they are actually speaking or what meaning the words have. Orwell
also explains how many metaphors have been twisted out of their original
meaning, often for us to understand (Orwell 3). Neil Postman, author of Amusing
Ourselves to Death, described how when Lincoln and Douglas would debate for
hours upon hours, the audience would not be lost but instead would respond to
the debates with applause. On the other hand, not that many people would be as
engaged into the debates as they were while Lincoln and Douglas were debating.
According
to Orwell, language has become very vague so others can understand. Language
has devolved to fit our needs in the 21st century, where almost
everything is done in the form of technology. Shorthand versions are being used
to quickly communicate and while communication is still going on, what is being
said isn’t really being thought about. The telegraph had allowed more people to
communicate. Neil Postman describes how people had started to write about
irrelevant public events that were happening all around the world. Photography
has also become a language, according to Postman. He describes photography as, “…a
language that speaks only in particularities…unlike words and sentences, the
photograph does not present to us an idea or concept about the world” (Postman
72). Photos created another way to communicate instead of communicating with
words. Words weren’t required to describe pictures since the image had a set
meaning to what it was trying to represent. Television has also led to the
devolving of language. Advertisements try and use fewer words and more pictures
so it is appealing to the public. As time went on, more shorthand versions of
communication were developed so the public would often get stuck while talking
to someone in person and would have to think about what they were saying.
Works
Cited
Postman,
Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show
Business. New York: Viking, 1985. Print.
Orwell, George. Politics and the English Language.
N.p.: n.p., 1946. Web. 27 Aug. 2015.
