The decay of the English language (generations, speech, invasion, school)

[sickofnyc99]

I work in an OR, a professional environment. Other staff members (who are professionals) in my opinion do not speak correctly. Substituting "axed" for "asked" and taking "l"s completely out of words. Now I'm from New York so we speak a little differently to begin with but this is a little far. The issue is everyone seems OK with it. Is this being allowed at schools? Opinions please.

[elamigo]

Originally Posted by sickofnyc99

I work in an OR, a professional environment. Other staff members (who are professionals) in my opinion do not speak correctly. Substituting "axed" for "asked" and taking "l"s completely out of words. Now I'm from New York so we speak a little differently to begin with but this is a little far. The issue is everyone seems OK with it. Is this being allowed at schools? Opinions please.

Even though I agree with how you feel, it is simply that language changes as time goes by due to societal changes. Little by little that happens. Young kids today have come up with their own way of writing things as they text. Most likely a lot that will transfer to language in business and everday business.

That is just the way it is. I do not think there is much you or anybody can do.

You have a great day.
El Amigo

[jtur88]

Yes, schools are the problem. If I ran a school (thank God I don't), every student would get a daily grade of zero if they talked one word of street-talk in the classroom. For a great majority of kids, school is the only place they can learn to speak English correctly. If schools fail to do that, the kids will simply not know anything different from street talk. Outside school, they can talk any way they like but IN school, they must learn the correct English language. Then they will know it when they need it.

It's easy to blame it on the parents, but the parents don't know any better either, and that's why we have schools. Words have correct pronunciations and usages, just like addition problems have correct sums. School has a purpose.

[ChrisC]

Language has been evolving since day one. English is no different.

Think of it this way: if you were suddenly plopped down into 'Anywheresville, USA' 100 years ago, your speech would be considered crude street talk. 200 years ago and your speech would be akin to gutter talk. 500 years ago and you'd probably be considered retarded--nobody would understand much of what you said. 1000 years ago in England and your English is now a foreign language compared to the 'real' English of the time.

Every generation has its own ‘vocabulary,’ which may or may not stick in future generations, you dig? What’s boss for one generation might not be so sick for the next.

I just wish that our language would change in the direction of order, efficiency, and logic rather than disorder, inefficiency, and illogic. But, that’s the way the ball bounces. All we can do is come up with a better language... like Esperanto.

[west_end_don]

^^
watevr ChrisC juss said!
l8tr!

[ovcatto]

I'm sure Shakespeare would be appalled by what is considered to be proper 20th Century english. Language changes the only thing that is important, does is the language still capable of efficiently conveying complex thoughts and emotions.

[reloop]

Originally Posted by sickofnyc99

I work in an OR, a professional environment. Other staff members (who are professionals) in my opinion do not speak correctly. Substituting "axed" for "asked" and taking "l"s completely out of words. Now I'm from New York so we speak a little differently to begin with but this is a little far. The issue is everyone seems OK with it. Is this being allowed at schools? Opinions please.

From what I can tell, any type of correction (in terms of spelling, etc.) has less emphasis placed on it in school today. Soooo...I guess in what I consider to be an ill attempt at making kids feel good, we ignore the errors and some how figure that they "magically" will start to speak eloquently and spell correctly?

I get on top of my kids like "white on rice" when they don't pronounce a word correctly - as a matter of fact, just today I pounced on my daughter for saying "kitten" just like her buddy who pronounces it "ki - en." I'm hoping someday it'll sink in. Especially after she's had enough of my riding her butt about it.

[cp1969]

Stuff that makes me groan:

"Caregiver". Suddenly, we realized we can't "take" "care" of someone or something...we must give care to it.

"Went missing". What happened to the word "disappeared"?

"Chair" of a committee, etc. Now, we must become a stick of furniture rather than refer to someone as a chairman. I'm sure Chair Mao is rolling in his grave.

Lastly...."Green" I am so sick of this word there are no words to describe the ill feeling it gives me to read or hear it. It is ruined forever.

[History Rules]

Originally Posted by sickofnyc99

I work in an OR, a professional environment. Other staff members (who are professionals) in my opinion do not speak correctly. Substituting "axed" for "asked" and taking "l"s completely out of words. Now I'm from New York so we speak a little differently to begin with but this is a little far. The issue is everyone seems OK with it. Is this being allowed at schools? Opinions please.

It's called the dumbing down of America which is happening every day, but there is nothing anyone can do about it because freedom of speech has been abolished at the same time. Instead of asking what can be done to increase peoples scores on aptitude tests we just make the tests easier or abolish them. End result, America is fading fast on the World stage. American used to rank 1st in math or science, that once mattered. Captitalism--Socialism--Communism we are moving right a long. The Dumbing down of America prequel to The Rise and Fall of the American Empire. The English language has so many wonderful new terms in the last twenty years such as baby's mama, home invasion robbery etc.....,,, It really is a tradgedy.

[RichardW]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

I'm sure Shakespeare would be appalled by what is considered to be proper 20th Century english. Language changes the only thing that is important, does is the language still capable of efficiently conveying complex thoughts and emotions.

You reckon. Shakespeare was well known in his time for concocting his own words for things or circumstances, which is no different in principle from some of the so called "slang" that is often used today.

Originally Posted by History Rules

It really is a tradgedy.

For you definately.

Originally Posted by elamigo

Even though I agree with how you feel, it is simply that language changes as time goes by due to societal changes. Little by little that happens. Young kids today have come up with their own way of writing things as they text. Most likely a lot that will transfer to language in business and everday business.

That is just the way it is. I do not think there is much you or anybody can do.

You have a great day.
El Amigo

Well done. This is the nail on the head here. It has ALWAYS been the case throughout history, and doesn't mean "society" is "declining" or "dumbing down" as people would like to believe, standing on their silly soap boxes.

If anything is a real problem with "society", it is that there are too many people on the planet. Even regarding that though, far more people are literate at this day and age than ever before in history.

As far as I am concerned, language changes all the time. Nothing stays the same. All that matters is being well educated, as long as everybody understands each other I do not see a problem.