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The power of the language
The power of the language
Language as an important method of communication in society
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The understanding of writing today in today’s society is very different than the understanding of it in the past. It is constantly changing daily as people change, due to experiences and events. Language and writing are the communication between human beings, either spoken or written. True thoughts and emotions cannot always be expressed through words and this is when the importance of writing is embraced. Peter Elbow addresses writing in his book Writing with Power, as having “magic” within each word (Elbow 358). Slang has developed within writing and language, adapting to the current generation; this allows it to change generation to generation. Peter Elbow and Orwell give examples about the decline of language and the understanding of writing …show more content…
A person’s language is the way unique ideas and meaningful thoughts are put into words. However, the true thoughts and emotions comprised of a person’s brain cannot always be expressed through words and this is when the importance of writing is embraced and becomes a reality. Peter Elbow states, “The words will be ruined if they come out of the mouth instead of on paper. Speaking, uses up or dissipates one’s vital fluids for writing” and this addresses the effect and importance of writing in today’s language (Elbow 358). Language and writing have an immense power in the world because of the power writing creates within the English language. The power allows writing to convey the world and put forth a message that could not be expressed …show more content…
Orwell says that language is “ugly, inaccurate and in decline” (Orwell). Writing is supposed to be accurate, but today’s culture and society has made it inaccurate in the way writing skills have diminished with use of slang. But on the other hand, language has not declined, as language cannot decline, it changes and adapts to society. How people communicate as a generation is very different than other generations. If a teenager today said to grandparents or younger children, “This house is low-key lit,” neither of them would understand the context of the question or the slang language used by today's generation. People in the 21st century use a lot of slang within the language, whether it is shortening words or sayings such as, “we out here,” and “sup.” Slang had the tendency to make others sound unintelligent or immature because of the shortness and laziness slang words/sentences create. Although slang cause this type of reaction from some, it is a part of each generation, as it allows people to feel comfortable and feel apart of a group of people or generation. Slang is changing generation to generation, adapting to the current culture. Being that it adapts and develops according to the current century, the slang used in the 21st century will have very little meaning to future generations. Slang
While preparing for one of his college lectures, Dennis Baron, a professor and linguistics at the University of Illinois, began playing with the idea of how writing has changed the world we lived in and materials and tools we use in everyday life. This lecture slowly transitioned into “Should Everybody Write?” An article that has made many wonder if technology has made writing too easy for anyone to use or strengthens a writer's ability to learn and communicate their ideas. Baron uses rhetorical strategies in his article to portray to his audience his positive tone, the contrast and comparison of context and his logical purpose.
The constant changing of technology and social norms makes difficult for different generations to understand one another and fully relate to each other. Diction and slang change as years pass and what is socially acceptable may have been prohibited in the previous generations.
In this day and age, writing is being portrayed through various mediums, such as film and television. Some of those portrayals depict writing as both good and bad depending on the situation that is present. Authors such as, by E. Shelley Reid, Kevin Roozen, and Anne Lamott all write about important writing concepts that are being depicted in films, like Freedom Writers. The film Freedom Writers shows a positive and accurate portrayal of writing in the sense that the writers should have a connection to what they are writing about, writing is a form of communication, and that writing does not have to be perfect the first time.
The current decade’s slang is very important to the teen culture. Teens often use slang to speak only to one another and not to adults as said in the following article, “Every generation has its slang — new words that allow kids to communicate without their parents understanding”(53 Slang… 1). Kids will use slang terms to communicate without adults being able to comprehend what exactly kids are saying, it is basically a secret code. Since the 1930’s slang has evolved in countless ways. These words will constantly be changing, even within the same decade as said in this Huffington Post article, “words change all the time and overtime”(“These 12…” 1). Words within the English language can constantly have little tweaks added to them; sometimes this will create an entire new word. Slang terms can change throughout decades and era’s rapidly even though it is within a short time span, and this article supports the fact that words do not need decades to change it can take as little time as a few
Amy Tan talks of the English she grew up with. Tan describes an English her mother uses and an English she shares with her husband. Tan sprinkles in the emotional intricacies of a personalized language that is burdened by misconceptions and apprehensively describes this language as “broken,” but expression through the use of a “broken language doesn’t invalidate what is being said, it doesn’t devoid passion, intention or imagination it simply differs from a normality. Envisage expression as ubiquitous. The differences rest in the vessels used to express. Here, I am using the English language, a grandiose entangling of words and a structured system, to indite my thoughts.
Michaela Cullington, a student, wrote a paper “Does Texting Affect Writing?” in 2010 for an English class. The paper is an examination of texting and the belief that it negative effective student’s writing. Cullington goes into detail about textspeak- “language created by these abbreviations”- and their use in formal writings. She organizes the paper in a way that is confusing to understand at first (pg. 1). At the end of the paper, she discusses her finding in her own research which comes to show that texting does not affect writing. But this is contradicting to the information she received from the teachers. The students and the teachers were seeing differences in the use of textspeak in formal writing. Cullington has good support for her
A few years back, there was some concern over the fact that texting may be affecting the writing composition of teenagers. John McWhorter from Times Magazine wrote, “Is Texting Killing the English Language” on this very phenomenon, with the rhetorical aim to persuade people that this wasn’t the case. In the article, McWhorter refers to historical texts to persuade his audience, middle-aged
Language is more than words and the ability to communicate. It allows the world to express thoughts and ideas, but along with that comes influence and authority—matter that run society. Language impacts society in various ways, both bad and good. Everyday life, even texts and films, portray the effect of language. Whale Rider, “The Myth of the Latin Woman”, and The Crucible demonstrate that language is power.
When you think of slang today, the most positive connotation probably doesn’t come to mind. We often times associate slang with a term used in a derogatory context. You may even find yourself linking the use of slang to a particular group or social class, where in reality, almost all of us use slang every day without realizing it. In Walt Whitman’s “Slang in America”, he gives several examples of common words that underwent a change of meaning through the usage of slang. “Insult” originally meant “to leap against”, “wrong meant twisted”, and “spirit meant breath or flame” (Whitman 2). Whitman valued and recognized the effects slang had in the development of the American language. Another author who acknowledged the importance
George Orwell’s essay, the Politics and the English Language, portrays inaccuracies associated with writing. He explores examples of poorly written sentences. He appeals, “Language as an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought” (Orwell). The main points of his essay consist of writing clearly and honestly in order to accurately represent what the writer is intending their audience to understand. Orwell focuses on the reasoning for the decline of the language due to political and economic reasons. This reaffirms the necessity to simplifying language as opposed to complicating it in an effort to appear intellectual, respectable, or powerful. Outdated metaphors, extra or pretentious words added for the sake
African American Slang has had many other names: Ebonics, Jive, Black English, and more. The Oxford English Dictionary defines slang (in reference to language) in three different ways: 1) the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character; language of a low and vulgar type 2) the special vocabulary or phraseology of a particular calling or profession; the cant or jargon of a certain class or period 3) language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of standard educated speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in some special sense. Whatever one’s perspective on slang, it is a natural and inevitable part of language. In this paper I will discuss examples of current slang being used that some people may not understand.
A successful writer is he who is able to transmit ideas, emotions, and wisdom on to his readers. He is cable of stirring emotions and capturing the reader's attention with vivid descriptions and clever dialogues. The writer can even play with the meanings of words and fuse reality with fiction to achieve his goal of taking the reader on a wonderful journey. His tools are but words, yet the art of writing is found in the use of the language to create though-provoking pieces that defy the changing times. Between the lines, voices and images emerge. Not everyone can write effectively and invoke these voices. It is those few who can create certain psychological effects on the reader who can seize him (or her) with inspiring teachings, frightening thoughts, and playful games with the language. These people are true writers…
Language has been said to effect culture and a person’s way of thinking; in addition to culture effecting language. Throughout the last 100 years there have been apparent and subtle changes in the English language. The changes an English speaking person may see throughout their life time are different catchphrases, the way language is written, the type of formality used, and how deeply English is affected by cultures; as well as how it effects other cultures around the world.
In the essay “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell, the author states his opinion of the decline of the English language. Orwell discusses both its causes and what he foresees as its consequences. He states there is less innovation and coherency, which dilutes the power of the language. Orwell felt that people were using the English language inaccurately, relying on metaphors which are meaningless and used so the writer does not have to bother with creating their phrases. Orwell asserted “It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.”
Any craftsman knows that you need the right tools to complete a project successfully. Similarly, people need the right language and usage to communicate in a positive way. How people write is often a problem because they don’t have the right tools, but a bigger problem occurs when a writer “is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything at all” (592). If a writer carries this mentality, why try to communicate in the first place? People need...