i rlly think lang is like dvlving

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 21^st 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.