There is no doubt that the computer and digital technology in general have had an impact on the way language is used today. Should we be worried that the digital world is changing language? While it may still be too early for us to answer this question definitively, it is an issue worth exploring. Since English is my mother tongue, I will be speaking from that perspective, although I am sure that many of the issues raised here will not be unique to the English language.
I have discussed in other posts the concerns that teachers have about their students’ use of text speech affecting their writing ability. Posts made on social media have often drawn the ire of purists of the Queen’s English because of the lack of correct spelling and grammar that is often encountered. However, the issue goes deeper than students writing poor essays or English language purists getting perturbed by bad spelling or grammar. The troubling concern is that some of the sources that were once trusted with providing correct information with regards to spelling and grammar are now guilty of those offences. There was once the belief that it was printed in newspapers or was read by a newscaster on radio or television then we could trust the accuracy of the information. Too often we see mistakes with spelling and grammar cropping up among these once trusted sources. The issue seems to stem from the race to be first with the story. The internet, with its fast-paced methods of getting information out, forces news sources to be less vigilant with issues surrounding spelling and grammar so that they can keep up with their rivals.
The English language used in the United States of America (USA) has become a “global language” partly because of the influence USA has had on the development of the internet and digital technology. The English used in the USA, especially as it relates to the spelling of words, is different from what is spoken in other parts of world like England, Canada and the Caribbean. It is quite common for users of British English to be found guilty of making spelling errors because of word processing applications correcting the spelling to reflect US English.
Does the spelling and the grammar matter? There are those who believe that spelling and grammar are inconsequential if people are able to understand the meaning of the words communicated. Others on the other hand argue that it is important because it is an indication of the level of literacy one possesses which can be important for making certain decisions. Daffern, Mckenzie and Hemmings (2017) note that placing specific importance on spelling and grammar is directly related to improving students’ literacy.
There are those who argue that instead of eroding the English language the internet has broadened the language. Several new words have become a part of the new vocabulary because of the internet. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which for many represents the authority on English words, has been consistently updating its dictionary as more internet-derived words become part of everyday usage. For a few years the OED has even added abbreviations like IMHO (in my honest opinion) and LOL (laugh out loud) which are commonly used in text speech or on social media (Ionescu, 2011).
In my opinion, although the English language has been significantly affected by digital technology and in some cases less value and attention are paid to correct spelling grammar because of this technology, ultimately the benefits of the technology on the use of the English language will outweigh the concerns. There is greater access to the language now more than ever before and more options in getting assistance with spelling grammar. It therefore seems that digital technology will do more to improve literacy than harm it.
References
Daffern, T., Mackenzie, N. M., & Hemmings, B. (2017). Predictors of writing success: How
important are spelling, grammar and punctuation? Australian Journal of Education, 61(1), 75-87.
D. Ionescu. (March 26, 2011). OMG! LOL: Internet slang added to Oxford English
Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.pcworld.com/article/223432/OMG_LOL_Internet_Slang_Added_To_Oxford_English_Dictionary.html
scott pike
August 7, 2018 — 12:53 pm
Hi Kamille,
A great post that gave me lots to think about, and while the English teacher in me would love to say that the English language is being unfairly persecuted by heathens who don’t appreciate the subtle complexities of the language, I just can’t. I would also love to say that English will weather this assault in the coming years as we progress further into the digital age, but I’m not so sure. The readings from this module have opened my eyes in a way that leaves me wondering just what exactly I am supposed to do in my classroom. Let me play devil’s advocate here…
Alexander (2008) and Alexander and Levine (2008) remind us that virtually anyone can post anything online. Much of this content is unregulated, with no guarantees that the content will be grammatically sound. In my honest opinion (notice I didn’t go for IMHO), I think the number of trusted literary and media institutions that slip up from time to time should be the least of our worries. In fact, didn’t the notes for this week mention that the Washington Post figures that 7 million new websites are added every day (Pena, 2017)? That certainly is an overwhelming figure.
Add to it that many of those sites aren’t even in English, and that is another reason why I think the language we know and love might not be able to withstand erosion as a “global language”. In outlining their Pedagogy of Multiliteracies, The New London Group note that “schooling in general and literacy teaching in particular were a central part of the old order [that assimilated] immigrants and indigenous peoples to the standardized “proper” language of the colonizer” (Cazden et al., 1995, p. 68). Whether or not you believe that, it is easier to accept that digital technology is allowing for the proliferation of many other languages, not just English. If schools and literacy pedagogy are to be the “neutral arbiters of difference” (1995, p. 69), as the New London Group recommends, then traditional English literacy practices will find less and less space to flourish.
Finally, I came across the work of Mark Bauerlein in my research for Blog Post 3. Bauerlein is an English professor at Emory University who has gained attention for his book, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupifies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future. I won’t summarize the book, but a Youtube video of one of his lectures has him explaining that the amount of tweeting and texting students do does nothing to help develop the type of expository writing required at university. To quote: “academic benefits of the online world are undemonstrated at best” (Bauerlein, 2017).
So in the end, I don’t know what to think about the future of English or what literacy will look like in my classroom. I know for sure that the digital age has brought significant changes to English and literacy, but I am uncertain about how well we can expect the technological advances of this age to lord over the traditional aspects of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and usage as well as a good old-school flesh and bones teacher.
References
Alexander, B. (2008). Web 2.0 and Emergent Multiliteracies. Theory Into Practice,47(2), 150-160. doi:10.1080/00405840801992371
Alexander, B., & Levine, A. (2008). Web 2.0 storytelling: Emergence of a new genre. EDUCAUSE Review
Bauerlein, M. (2017, November 07). Dumbest Generation: Young Americans in the Digital Age [Video File]. Retrieved July 29, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnk4JzPV4IM
Published online by the Center for Global Humanities
Cazden, Courtney; Cope, Bill; Fairclough, Norman; Gee, Jim; et al. (1995). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review; Spring 1996; 66, 1; Research Library
Pena, E. (2018). Module 4, The educated imagination in the information age: redefining our understandings of literacy. Retrieved from the University of British Columbia ETEC 540 Canvas site.