Multi modal talk essay Language has evolved and culture has changed resulting from the increase of people who use mobile phones and social networking sites. Text speak, developed by mostly younger users, and has become a popular non-standard form of English usage. While text speak does sometimes appear to lack structure, it does have established rules and techniques. It has a specific etiquette. Courtesy and good manners are always expected.
They refer to this minority as diseased or sick. The second group is the hysterical haters. The “hater” envies those who are able to act out on desires that he himself has to repress. The third group is narcissistic hate where unawareness of a group leads to contempt for them. Although Sullivan feels that this definition is not the final definition of hate, but it serves to better define the word and helps understand the true meaning behind the word.
David Crystal’s 2b or Not 2b discusses the controversial issue of abbreviations in text messaging and it’s effect on contemporary English. In the beginning of the article he provides quotations from well-known authors and scholars who have had nothing but negative things to say about texting and it’s long-term effects. For example, John Sutherland of University College London stated “texting is penmanship for illiterates” (335). This is only the beginning of the criticism. Crystal then proceeds to argue each negative criticism he has come across in regards to texting.
Brenda Chow breaks the first rule by using many worn out metaphors and similes; Brenda Chow neglects to follow Orwell’s second rule with very poor word choice and delivery; She violates the third rule by being very wordy in her essay, leading to a more confusing and deceptive essay. It’s important for us to recognize the misuse of language so that we do not walk the same path. The best thing Brenda can do to help improve her writing and use of language would be to simplify and be more specific with her diction. Brenda Chow is guilty of using many flat and overused metaphors and similes that have almost lost all of their original meaning. For example Brenda Chow writes “The radio plays old Springsteen, and suddenly there is a lightning flash, a sudden “eureka!”, and the light bulb pulsates urgently over my head; a phrase pops into my mind” (Chow 1) or “It is a diamond in the rough”(Chow 1).
This “textspeak” has provoked controversy between those such as John Humphreys and John Sutherland who believe that text language is “wrecking our language”. We can Humphrey’s opinion of text messaging is negative as within his article he describes texting with negative adjectives like “sinister” and “deeply troubling” and in John Sutherland’s article Sutherland tells us that it Is texting that’s promotes “bad spelling” and “dyslexia”. On the other hand in David Crystal’s article Crystal gives a balanced view towards text messaging mostly explaining the positives of this new language and telling us that abbreviations and coded messages have been along for centuries like this one for example, “YY U R YY U B I C U R YY 4 ME” translated as Too wise you are, too wise you be, I see you are too wise for me. This abbreviated message was written in the 16th century showing us that this abbreviated English language has not just evolved recently but could be argued that it now used and abbreviated more frequently. David Crystal also describes this “textspeak” as “a language in evolution” describing texting as having a positive affect on the English Language and that it is encouraging the younger generations to be creative with their language and the riddles they use within their messages, requiring thought and intelligence and showing great knowledge and creativity, perhaps
Graff and Birkenstein are saying that metacommentary is a way to explain your writing to keep the reader from getting lost, or interpreting something the way you did not intend it to be. Zinsser would consider this clutter. He states, “Clutter is the disease of American writing. We are a society strangling in unnecessary words, circular constructions, pompous frills, and meaningless jargon” (Zinsser, 7). To Zinsser, almost anything that is not clear and to the point would be considered clutter.
Censorship The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has recently been revised to remove the word ‘nigger’ which appears over two hundred times. The censorship of this piece of classical literature is devaluing the novel and the ideas portrayed in it. The “harmful epithets”, which also include the word ‘injun’, serve as an integral part of this novel and sanitizing this book for the goal of political correctness is also stripping a historical document of information that acknowledges America’s blatantly racist past and makes our youth aware, through education, the toxicity of prejudice. Twain’s work is dependent on his conveyance of the actual state of things and relation of ideas popular to his era. The content in the work is imperative to the messages it communicates.
Chris ENG 101 13 September 2009 Assignment 2: Final Draft Orwell and Lederer Arguments George Orwell in “Politics and the English Language” and Richard Lederer in “The Case for Short Words” share a similar concern with bad habits forming in the English Language and its impact on a writer’s perspective in writing a good paper. Orwell’s central point in his essay is that the English Language is becoming untidy. Supporting his case, Orwell argues that bad habits are forming do to our foolish thoughts, caused by the slovenliness of our language. Of equal importance is Orwell’s insistence that all these bad habits are reversible. As Orwell states, “The habits can be avoided if one is willing to go through the trouble.
Don’t Get Me Started on Advertising by Keith Aconley Advertising is a disease. It is a perpetual assault on our senses, and it is on the verge of becoming an epidemic. It plagues our television screens, ruins our web browsing experiences and jingle after jingle has made the radio something to avoid. I do understand its purpose, and, if done appropriately and tastefully, it can almost be tolerable. However, the vast majority of it incenses me.
Student Name Professor Name ENG 106 WB 29 Jan. 2013 “2b or Not 2b” In the article “2b or Not 2b,” David Crystal discusses how others such as John Humphry argue that texters are “…vandals who are doing out language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbors 800 years ago. They are destroying it” (Crystal 335). Crystal also argues that when printing came about it people thought of it as the work of the devil. People believed that printing would put false opinions into people’s minds. When other inventions came about, such as the telegraph, telephone, and broadcasting it scared people and they felt that they would have negative consequences for the English language.