Proper English: An Endangered Species

We call cancer the silent killer.  In the context of the living body, that is an accurate assessment.  However, there is another silent killer out there; one that poses as a friend.  We all know it as: Technology.  While it has unquestionably made all of our lives easier, created jobs, and increased efficiency, it has also debilitated our desire for retained knowledge.  We no longer want to know how to do something we just want to know what can do it for us.  For instance, very few people read or even carry paper maps nowadays.  Our sense of direction has been replaced with enough sense to follow the directions narrated to us by our Global Positions Systems.  Changing the channel by hand, raking leaves in the yard, even remembering someone’s telephone number have all been exchanged for the remote control, the leaf blower, and the Blackberry. 

Speaking of cell phones, a massive contact list that is impossible to remember isn’t the only double edged sword technology has helped create.  The texting feature available on nearly all cell phones is the wayward offspring of the computer user’s favorite, instant messaging (IM).  Instant messaging was invented to be a non-intrusive method for sending low priority messages to another person who subscribed to the IM service and was logged into it.  This differed from email since IM’s were significantly shorter in length and usually very casual and conversational.  Spelling was not important.  Grammar didn’t matter.  Diction was non-essential.  Abbreviations and missing words didn’t necessarily equate to missed meanings.  IM had its own jargon, acronyms, and rules of etiquette.  The leaders of the Internet industry created brand names for their IM services such as AIM (AOL Instant Messaging) and Yahoo! Messenger.                

As with all things, evolution took its course as we saw the capabilities of cell phones grow so rapidly that they soon needed another category to keep up with them.  Smart phones were born and the world hasn’t been the same since.  We now have the internet, IM, games, GPS, and 24/7 availability, literally in our pockets.  Texting, the mobile version of IM, quickly gained adoration by the young, the young at heart, and the rest of us.  Unfortunately, with texting came the rules, or lack thereof, of IM.  Misspelled and abbreviated words, slang, acronyms, Ebonics, and just plain old malarkey; you name it, it was fair game.  I, too, grew fond of texting although holding a conversation with someone is still my preferred means of communication. 

I didn’t realize how much IM and texting had affected my ability to properly create formal compositions until I embarked upon the task of writing my book, “It’s Always Today: Change Your Entire Life In Just 24 Hours”.  I was so proud when I finished that I sent it to the editor bragging about how there shouldn’t be much to edit.  Man, was I ever wrong?  My editor was not only a school teacher but also the daughter of a retired teacher.  She tore the book to shreds leaving behind a scene reminiscent of a slaughterhouse.  I was in disbelief that my writing was that bad.  She assured me that it wasn’t as disastrous as I perceived, just simple mistakes.  Sure, they may have been simple mistakes, but there were a lot of them.  To top it off, I had actually taken extra English classes during my college years to improve my writing skills.  However, that was before IM and texting was invented which had evidently degenerated my knowledge of English composition and grammar.  I was thoroughly embarrassed.

Proper English is now a dying form of communication especially in the urban community.  Since it’s not “cool” to speak properly, less and less of us feel the need to do it.  Speaking or writing improperly in itself is not the problem; allowing it to go uncorrected is.  No one knows the rules of any game until they are taught.  Once they understand the rules, there should be consequences for non-compliance.  Since many speaking and writing errors are charged to context, individuality, intended audience, and/or ignorance, they are allowed to continue.  Parents who don’t know or enforce proper communication protocol will raise children who will most likely continue on along that path.  While it is not necessary to speak in a manner that is devoid of personality or impact at all times, knowing how and when to use proper English will help the speaker and the writer as well as the listener and the reader.            

Texting is texting and IM is IM.  It is a modern form of communication that is not going to go away anytime soon.  Don’t take this passage to mean that one should compose a novel to convey that they are laughing out loud.  However, take the time to learn the correct way to use our versatile language.  It will take a valiant effort from everyone to avert the extinction of proper English.

-- Linwood R. Butler, Jr.

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