Letter to the Editor

Date: 26/3/2014

To the editor, Laura Clark

Daily Mail Senior Editor

London, UK

Subject: A response to the change in Language "Twtr? It's majorly bad!" 

Ms. Clark,

Over the past 24 hours, there has been a flood of letters to the editor in response to the article titled "Twtr? It's majorly bad!” Through the use of your newspaper, I would like to express my viewpoint of the developmental changes of language. 

 Our perspective on language has always been evolving, as it is a variable that is strongly affected by time and place. As time and knowledge progress, our styles in language will adapt to these to these developments. Language is evolutionary, as Standard English today and Standard English a thousand years ago are poles apart. These technology-driven advancements are not the first time this language faces a significant evolution. Radical change in the English language has been evident dating back to 63 AD. Events such as the Norman Invasion allow us to see how language over the span of history has always evolved and adapted to what time has to offer it. These developments are inevitable, and what technology has provided the English language can be classed as a linguistic miracle. 

Through linguists thorough analysis of technology they have come to find that only 10% of a text is written in slang, meanwhile, the rest of the 90% is written in standard form. This statistic challenges the article's statement that students have “limited vocabularies because they spend so much free time on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.” The Internet is a resource that allows students to find an abundance of excellent linguistic content. Many novels, books, and films are shared through the Internet; therefore, stating that the use of it is a danger to students' language is inaccurate. 

 In addition to that to abbreviate, miss letters in words, and shorten sentences people must initially realize that those words and letters are present in the first place. For example, claiming that when student’s text the words "thank you" as "thnk u" means they do not know how to spell the phrase in the first place is unattainable. These students must have an idea as to what words they are shortening and what letters are in them to miss them out on the first place. 

As a teenager, I would class myself as a representative of our generation; the world is changing rapidly, it all always has. The technology and Internet era have been a sensation like no other and has had the ability to shape our worlds upcoming future. To illustrate, I am a bilingual speaker and have learned more English through my computer than in schoolrooms. I have been provided with applications that cater to helping me decipher grammar and style of the English language; therefore expanding my knowledge and ability.

 The article at hand is one that expresses many, ideas that reflect how the Internet's beginning to affect the English language both socially and professionally. Evidently, the pros outweigh the cons of technologies impact on language. Unfortunately, it only emphasized on the close-minded approach to such a linguistic advancement. I would prefer articles such as these offer both sides of the argument. This Daily Mail is an outlet that many tend to seek awareness from therefore I urge you to provide unbiased approaches in the future. 

Yours sincerely,

Shamsa Al Ameemi

Raha International School,

Khalifa City A,

AD,

UAE