Language Autobiography Daniel Wirt

Daniel Wirt 

Iron stream 

Talking to people in a manor, in which everyone can understand you, has become increasingly difficult. Now a day, we have all this new technology such as the iPod, the laptops, and the cool new phones. All of which have forms of communicating involved with them. These forms of communication all involve using language and through this communication people have found ways to dim down the amount of writing they have to do. Possibly it is because people are too lazy. There are things that are now shortened like laugh out loud= lol and k/kk= okay. These are just two of perhaps thousands of ways that people abbreviate things. 

More recently I have been noticing this becoming more evident in people’s language. People are using this to talk rather then the standard and ‘correct’ English. Why might this be? Possibly it is because people are so used to shortening words when they are using these technological devices. It has become second hand for people to write lol, kk, and ard. This is limiting the speech horizon for many people. It can be used as an advantage in some cases because other people may not be aware or this newly developed writing/speaking style but it can also be a disadvantage because it gets engraved into your head that this is correct and that this is proper. 

“Your so funny, lol,” I feel as though this is accepted today where we live, but out in another state or even another city that is right around the corner from ours may be thinking what does that mean. Now with the popularity of that word I feel as though it has spread throughout our country and most people that use these technologies are susceptible to this new form of talking. 

“Oh hey girl, how you doing?” the women said with  a look of shock on her face as if she hadn’t seen the women in a long time. 

“Oh i’m ight, how bout chou?,” The girl responded with the same amount of excitement. They both hugged and did some sort of hand shake. 

“oh girl I’m good, yo dat foul on the field was so funny like real rap yo,” 

“I know right lol,” the girl laughed in a chuckle that filled the environment with disapproval at the fact that she had just insulted the man. 

Now in this conversation that I over heard on the train there are two females interacting in a conversation after a football game. The words that they used are simply chopped up and revised English words. Making up these new words is like creating a new language that on you and the other person understand. In fact I am sure there are words that are used within one community that wont be understood to a community that is right around the corner. 

I feel as though this form of talking has taken over the people in my life. Why, just today my mom sent me a text saying “K,” not “okay.” It has become such a normal thing these days that people don’t really think twice about the way they are talking.

Speaking in a certain dialect also gives a bit of personality to you. It describes you, and it defines you. However, now that all of these technologies have introduced a whole new way of talking is it possible that we loose a bit of the things that define us? Everyone has a language identity. One that makes them, them.  For people to talk by using words that are cut down and slimmed it is perceived as an informal way of talking and it takes away from someone’s creativity. If you were to walk into a job interview and talk in such a manor then they would probably not hire you. Speaking in that manor makes you seem less intelligent and less ‘you’ but why? Is it because of whom the languages were made by? It could very well be that reason, or maybe it is the fact that it just sounds informal. I suppose we can’t know for certain but what is evident through this is that this language, ‘slang,’ is not a very good thing to get a habit on speaking like. 

“Yo I don’t fuck with no green vegetables besides green beans dog. Except for maybe some of dem hoagies and shit,” He said with a chuckle.

His friends replied with a laugh and were thoroughly okay with the way he was talking 

Now this was a person that was talking to his friends on the train. This doesn’t see like something you would want to be saying if you were in the middle of a job interview. There is an improper use of grammar and pronunciation. Thus telling the hirer that this job applicant has very little ability with talking. Jobs don’t want that form of English. Also this can be mistaken to some people because this kid has given the word “fuck” a new use.