Is English dead?

[oldE]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Eh, isn't this a sign that it is alive?

A dead language doesn't have changes.

You may be viewing a post written by a German.
They have different capital letter usage.

Exactly what I was thinking.
To really open your eyes to the changes the language has undergone, read some Shakespeare or Chaucer. Language which is in use evolves to suit the users. That is in part why you hear regional dialects. The process never stops until there is no longer anyone using the language.
In the meantime, it is as annoying as all get out to many of us.

Best
Les

[KNS]

I'm seeing mistakes more often in written news articles. Ironic because they presumably took classes in journalism.

[Starless]

It's not only English. I see it in Spanish too. Instead of "que' (what) they use "K" just the letter. And to make it weirder, the letter K is used very little in the Spanish language. I think people are texting more and looking for any way to write quicker with as few key strokes as possible.

[widgeon13]

People don’t care anymore.

Their, there and they’re, that’s all I have.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Years ago reasonably intelligent people, moderately intelligent, average, below average and truly unintelligent people both self-selected and were forced by societal differences to interact mostly within their own group. Obviously some overlap across every level but people stayed in their own herd comfort zone for the most part.

The Web dramatically changed this paradigm. Now everyone's voice is heard by everyone and each has equal importance and volume, no matter the content, grammar, spelling, etc.

That Web has changed the bell curve into a circle with everyone shouting toward the center.

My wife and I like this explanation of yours Shaun@Tru6.

I explained to her the troublesome encounter I had as a child while playing at Patton Park (Detroit), one of the other kids kept saying they wanted to axe (ask) me.

Nobody is going to axe me, and I would not stand for it.

Fouds = Ford

Coin = Change

Dou = Door

Axe = Ask

I find it all confusing, but highly suspect children of today exposed to all sorts of dialects and inferences from various sub-sects of our culture have the ability to adapt and reuse at a rate I am unlikely to fully understand.

Locally, parents have remarked to my wife that sometimes babysits, that their children will occasionally break out speaking with an English (UK) accent.

The cause seems to be watching British cartoons such as Olivia and Peppa Pig.

Film: Blade Runner.............Language: City Speak............just an example of what we could be headed for.

Noodle Bar Scene - Cityspeak
https://www.tumbral.com/tag/cityspeak

[billybek]

Originally Posted by cstreit

Pedal vs Peddle vs Petal is my biggest pet peeve. (Given we sell break systems, I see it a lot)

Fixed it for you!

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by KNS

I'm seeing mistakes more often in written news articles. Ironic because they presumably took classes in journalism.

The writing in recent updates to Star Wars the Old Republic has significant errors here and there.
I think they spend too much time on social engineering and not enough time on academics.

However, I would also say know your audience.
Some people that learned by sight reading have an extremely limited vocabulary.
If you want to reach those people you must only use the words they can read.

[crustychief]

Originally Posted by cstreit

Pedal vs Peddle vs Petal is my biggest pet peeve. (Given we sell brake systems, I see it a lot)

You mean break systems?

[john70t]

Originally Posted by petrolhead611

The most seen example in England is:.
Fish & Chip's

Fish & Chip's Restaurant. Those are the owners.

Chip is a man's name and I know of several people with it.
Fish must be a woman's name.

[GH85Carrera]

As a kid we were living in Hawaii. I became very proficient at communication with the local kids that spoke pidgin English. I could speak it fairly well in Jr. High School.

Then we were reassigned to Montgomery, AL. I was sent to a school that was 75% black, and the language of southern drawl, and ebonics. My first day, a kid that sat behind me asked me a question and I had no idea whatsoever what he was asking. He asked three times, and I finally told him that I just moved to town, and came from Hawaii, and I could not understand him, and to please speak clearly. The kid sitting next to us translated he wanted to borrow a pencil. Of course "borrow" really meant, give him a pencil as I was never getting it back. I used only a mechanical pencil, so I had to tell him I just have the one and could not help him.

The classmates saw I wore a watch and "axed" me a question all the time, "what time it is?". I learned to understand a lot of the ebonics, but never could understand it all. I was friends with one kid that taught me a lot of the phrases and how to understand him and his buddies.

We made that very same move from Hawaii to Montgomery twice. The first time I was in 3rd grade I think. The first day of class the teacher, a white lady, with the very thick southern accent, gave us a pop spelling test. I made a zero. Not one answer was right. I simply could not understand the teacher. She sent me home with a note and it said she is afraid I was retarded. My parents went to speak to her and my dad kept asking her to repeat herself. He finally said, Miss, I am having a real hard time understanding you. My son has no chance with you and an oral spelling test. Mom and dad talked to the principal and they moved me to a different teacher that could speak English without a horrible accent.

It has already been pointed out, English is a living language, and changes constantly. If some teenager was transported to the 1920s they would have a hard time understanding the language, and an ever harder time expressing himself. 100 years has changed the language a lot.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Eh, isn't this a sign that it is alive?
A dead language doesn't have changes.

Decomposition is not proof of life but rather of death. By your thought process, if we continue to change to the point of just grunts and howls then we have continued to keep the English language alive. I see your point that our forms of communication is evolving but assert that proper English (and the ability to correctly communicate in an educated manner) is becoming ignored.

Disclaimer: I will admit that I have poor writing skills so I may have errors in what I write. My strength is in speaking.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by KNS

I'm seeing mistakes more often in written news articles. Ironic because they presumably took classes in journalism.

On-line news articles are terrible, with misspellings and wrong word usage. It's obvious no on proofreads any of it. It must be written by machines, even high school kids can do better.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Our current leader butchers the English language (both verbally and in writing), in a traditional sense, and he is neither young nor non-white; he does have an obsession with social media, however.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

On-line news articles are terrible, with misspellings and wrong word usage. It's obvious no on proofreads any of it. It must be written by machines, even high school kids can do better.

no one? LOL, sorry, couldn't resist. I am a slave to spell check and I miss my share.

[abisel]

There are three too's in the English language.

There. Or maybe "their"?

Did I use the right word? Or should it be "to's", or "two's", or "toos", or "tos", or "twos"?

Dang it! Even the spell checker can't figure it out.

[RWebb]

phone posting, texting & predictive wrong words killin' Anglais

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by porsche tech

To instead of too and then instead of than is common on this forum. Could you imagine being a foreigner trying to learn English?

foreigners invented English


esp. the Vikings who settled in France...

[RWebb]

well, read The Story of English

then get back to me

the language is a melange

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Por_sha911

no one? LOL, sorry, couldn't resist. I am a slave to spell check and I miss my share.

Lol! I do try, but sometimes something will get by me.

[70SWT]

Wow, what a response; I see some interesting perspectives here.

I agree that the language does and inevitably will change. But I think there are changes that are legitimate (e.g., new words), and then there is just plain lazy misuse that becomes commonplace for some folks.

The folks who really interest me are the ones who don't care.