Mind your Language
Language is nothing but a method of human communication consisting of words used in a structured and conventional way and conveyed by speech,writing or gesture. As the generation changes, there are changes in the way people communicate, their attitude, behavioral and social changes. 3 Key Trends that shape generations are i) Parenting ii) Technology iii) Economics
Over the decades, since the 1940’s there have been five generations till date:
- Traditionalist or Silent Generation or Radio Babies(1945 and before)
- Baby Boomers (1946–1964)
- Generation X (1965–1976)
- Millenials a.k.a Gen Y (1977–1995)
- Gen Z a.k.a iGen or Centennials (1996-Till date)
As a child, we learn to speak from the moment we are 12 months old — 3 years. Some research studies suggest that even when the child is in the mother’s womb they are capable of learning language. But ofcourse in today’s day & age the influence of external factors such as our demographic location, people we meet and interact with, our environment and technology have a great impact on our way of communication.
Every older generation looks down on the way the new generation speaks. Even though the language is same-English, the way the kids speak changes drastically,at times to create a generational identity. Let’s have a look at how at some of the changes that have taken place over the years.
Traditionalists a.k.a Silent Generation-did not have much say in what they did and neither were their opinions considered. It was an era when the children were of the Great Depression. The Silent Generation was all about “working within the system” and they did this by keeping their heads down and working hard.The style of parenting known to the Silents and the generations before was that “children should be seen but not heard”. Radio was the only medium that people had for gathering information. At that time since so many wars were going on, there was nothing new that the people learnt except about the wars that took place.
From the Traditionalists to the Baby Boomers, there was a big generation gap that took place and subsequently every new generation brought some new energy and their working style was very different .The change in English language over time from Shakespearean English to the slang & lingo used now is due to three reasons:
i) Innovation in Technology over time
ii) Migration (Movement of people across countries & continents)
iii) To create a generational identity
Over the years, several “slang” words have been created influenced by the internet & social media. The Internet is one of the most prevalent influence on our day to day lives. Be it Facebook, Instagram,Twitter or any other social networking medium — it’s all connected via the Internet.
Every year hundreds of new words and phrases that come from internet slang are added to the dictionary. As the usage of particular words & phrases spreads across the world, and frequency of using those words increases, thats when it is considered to be part of the Dictonary. A word must be in use for atleast five years to be considered. E.g. LOL-becomes common, widespread and widely understood it will be a part of the English dictonary.
Internet/Tech Slang is used many a times to shorten a particular word/phrase and increase readability. Emoji’s & Emoticons which evolved in the 1990’s are also used to reduce word count. Internet Slang is spoken as well as typed. Slang is often considered as a negative connotation but its actually what links us together, just like culture.
Change is constant in everything-be it a particular subject, sport, technology, society or our cultures. It’s all related to us-humans.“Language itself changes slowly, but the internet has sped up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly”. Sometimes we may not like this kind of change in the English language from the formal Shakesperean lingo to using abbreviations and acronyms for several greetings or commonly used words in our day to day routine.
Language change shouldnt be worrisome, rather should take it with a pinch of creativity and become a part of the process of change in the robust english language. Change in the English language or any other for a matter of fact is a self -reflection of the ever-shfiting culture,new technologies & creative concepts.
We shall question ourselves though, that with the rapid pace of change in language over time, is our vocabulary diminshing? Is it changing the way we think?Are we limiting our basic knowledge in exchange for just creating an identity for ourselves? Eventually, our words shape our thoughts, our thoughts shape our actions.
Reading,Writing & Speaking — are the basic fundamentals for any Language. But somewhere down the line once we complete our studies or incase our profession doesn’t require it on a regular basis-we tend to lose touch. I feel we maybe doing 1–2 out of the three regularly but not upgrading our knowledge on all 3 fronts. Take a moment, reflect and write. The answers will show up.
Language is central to our experience of being human, and the languages we speak profoundly shape the way we think, the way we see the world, the way we live our lives. I am neither for or against the change in the English language over time, but I feel we should be mindful of our language and how we speak.
