I think that webspeak/netspeak has a major impact on our culture. Technology is a major part of our daily lives and many people would be lost without them devices. Linguistic language, emoticon and abbreviations have all become part of our daily conversations. I can recall hundreds of times speaking with someone face to face and the say LOL or OMG. What is considered norm language within webspeak/netspeak is now become an everyday language. I have also received emails where different lingo and abbreviations are being use. I believe because people text/IM so much that they began to verbally communicate in the same manner. Thurlow says that “’young people write it as if they saying it’” (16).
Society is so program with time that everything is done in a hurry. We use lingo, abbreviation etc. because the conversations are at a fast pace and we are press for time or occupied with other things. During face to face conversation we have so many things that we have to do that we have to limit the time that we spend communicating with one another and in order to do that we have to use language that we have developed online to communicate quicker.
I agree with Baron’s findings that a new hybrid form of English is emerging. This language is developing in a new form of language just as Ebonics did. CMC technology has allowed us to communicate with each other without make proper sentences or worrying about subject verb agreement. It has made it easier to communicate. On my job we are informed that we have to communicate using an eighth grade level in order to ensure that everything is understood. Is this because most CMC does not require an education and more people are webspeak/netspeak language? Will employer’s state accepting this language as appropriate? Will the world totally convert to this language since it is used so often?
Interesting point about using and eighth grade level of communication to ensure comprehension. CMC language tends to be shorter and simpler, much like informal speech, which might lead us to the conclusion that it’s lowering reading comprehension levels even more. I was a journalism major as an undergrad. Even in the early 2000s, before texting really blew up, we were told that most audiences read on a fifth or sixth grade level. So it’s possible that texting alone is not the single greatest force.
I love your example of Ebonics as a sub-set of English. Many languages have gone through a blending process as new technologies or historical events have influenced them. Since its Fat Tuesday, I’ll point out that the French spoken in the crescent city is anything but pure French. I think the internet, and “webspeak” is the current influence shaping our language. It may not be permanent, but its definitely being adopted as people try to normalize this technology into their lives.
I can also recall times where I have been talking to people face to face, and they said LOL. Well, it was a little strange at first, especially because they said it to be sarcastic. However, I know my younger sister will just answer in acronyms sometimes. For example, I can ask her where is my dad at the moment? Her answer would be IDK. It is part of her conversation skills now, and I actually go along with it, because I know what she means. Maybe it would be different if I had no idea what she was talking about.
It’s amazing that so many people use lingo on a daily basic so it’s second nature to them. Do you think it would be easy for you to stop using lingo? If you do an experience with your family and say for a week enforce that no one can use lingo, abbreviations etc. do you think you would be able to do it? Some times this language become toxic and we need a detox just as many people need a detox from technology devices.
Like you, my family and I are fully aware of the influence technology is having on today’s culture. Shortened words and abbreviations are far more common now than they were when I was in high school. Even one of my younger brother’s teachers possesses a habit of using abbreviations in her texts, much to my family’s frustration. I also agree that conversations today are more rushed than ever before. It is like society has become increasingly impatient.
I think you’ve made such a great point about how rushed our society is. If I ever use acronyms or shortened words, that’s exactly why- I am running late and have to send this text really quickly. I know a lot of people who also send texts quickly so they can get a response quickly- when calling would be even quicker! These people often get mad if their friends don’t respond right away, but they don’t realize that their friends have lives and may have something else they’re doing. Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” I wish people would communicate on the phone or in person, so they could get their points across quicker and actually feel in communion with their friends.
I totally agree that the rush you mentioned is part of our life. This hurried feeling is part of our modern sensibilities. We expect to be busy and must accommodate our behaviors as both a cause and a reflection of that feeling.
I definitely understand what people go through when they are without their cell phones for a certain period of time because I work in the cell phone business. Sending a text with emoticons is way easier to do than just simply type out the expression or feeling. Texting and IM’s definitely hinder us from outside activities and enjoying life becasue our culture is so in tune with technology that we forget about what goes on around us. Communicating in person is so much better than texting or through facebook. More information gets across with face to face discussions.