I’m not even very good at texting. When people text me they
get a coherent sentence in reply. Some long words. How can I reply to my
publicist THX CU AM. But my grandkids
generation communicate with each other like this all the time. So I’m
wondering: have we come to the end of language as we knew it. Let’s think about
it.
We started with grunts and gestures which progressed to
words. To sentences: meat good. Go kill more.
Then writing was born from keeping tally of goods in early
Babylon. Cuniform. And the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Duck duck maiden sun god
meant “Would you like to come to tea on Friday?”
Well, I think we’ve just gone back to that with emojis. Sad
face sun trees means “I’m sorry but I can’t join you for the picnic because I’ve
got a sunburn.”
With English as the world language it was only a matter of
time that it was spelled phonetically any way. Don’t cum thru Ive got a cof.
Where are those lovely long poetic sentences of the
Victorian poets. All those impressive words they invented: permambulator omnibus umbrella
You see the one thing they had that we don’t is time. I’m
not talking about those who toiled in factories or trekked Westward. But the
educated class had too much time on their hands and no television (another
lovely invented word). They were quite content when their books started with
twenty pages of description of the roof of the house. They loved sentimental
poetry. My great aunt knew by heart endless recitations that she performed with
great drama at parties.
Words for them were to be savored, enjoyed, made the most of
because they had to fill time.
Now we are always in a rush. Half an hour for lunch? Can’t
leave the office.
Can U pu fish for dinr? And add the smiley face to show you
are not mad/stressed etc.
Do you use emojis frequently? Do you text? Do you still try to write coherent English?
