It used to just be smiley faces. Next were abbreviations for the lazy and two-finger keyboarders. This became a torrent as texting deteriorated to meet the two-thumbnail requirements of texting from tiny cell-phone keyboards.
It is not that we are complaining that it is destroying the English language. There are many aspects of our English that are archaic and need to be changed. The Americans have almost reached a point in this of separating into having a language completely of their own making. And it is not that the English are all that hidebound. The things Brits do the language can make you wonder.
This comes up because of an abbreviation on a text message the other day that said, ‘btw.’ The message was not from Botswana nor was it about ‘bad-tasting water.’ The translation to ‘by the way’ had to be explained.
This is similar to the more common abbreviation such as ‘lol.’ You see it all the time. We were under the impression that it meant ‘lots of luck.’ From some people, it was also assumed to mean ‘lots of love.’ Now we find out that it means ‘laughing out loud.’ Who would have guessed?
Thankfully, a kind person sent me a handy primer of the most common abbreviations and further help with reference to a web site called urbandictionary.com. While this is most helpful, we do not expect to be ‘lmao’ or saying ‘wtf’ too often in print. There just might be some readers over 21 in the crowd and we want them to be able to understand what is being said. (And not be offended by unnecessary vulgarity.)
The reason that English language has over a million words today is because we need them. We use them to help people understand what we are saying. In our day-to-day language, we use maybe 4000 words that our friends and family understand. Hundreds of thousands of English words are technical terms that people in different professions use to be clear and communicate effectively with their colleagues.
And that is what using language is all about. We use it to communicate clearly and concisely what we want to say. We capitalize words to say we are starting a new sentence or to say these words are a proper name for someone, a place or institution. We punctuate properly to help ensure clarity. We eschew bold face in text because we prefer not to shout. We use long words only when necessary. Short sentences are easy to read.
Our English language helps us communicate with millions of people around the world. We should show it the respect it deserves. And when we have said what we want, stop.
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