We shall find few persons in those republics who have pushed
their fortunes to any great degree of eminence without the assistance of
eloquence. – Montaigne, “Of the Vanity of Words”
Montaigne’s quote is as true now as it was then: we seldom
find people of fortune who aren’t good communicators. Communicating is
necessary to get ideas across, but the modes of communication and the accepted
forms of communication are changing. There was a time in elementary school, for
example, where my teacher told me to get used to writing in cursive because
that’s how I’d be required to write the rest of my life. Well, that didn’t
happen.
Times change, and much like the changes in the Renaissance
that occurred with the printing press, our culture is experiencing a similar
change. When the printing press was invented, some people hailed it as a way to
spread information, but others hated it because it degraded the old way of
doing things. No longer were books hand-copied and ornamented with beautiful
designs. How can the Bible, for example, mean the same when it wasn’t
hand-copied by monks?
How can an email be professional with a smileyface in it?
People today are struggling to transition to a world where techspeak (things
like lol, J,
and haha) are becoming acceptable in certain professional circles. I remember
working with an editor while publishing one of my books and the editor used a
smileyface in her email. I thought I needed to be professional, but here was
this professional using emoticons!
Some people think techspeak isn’t professional because it
shows a lack of respect. It isn’t “eloquent” and won’t help the user gain “fortunes
to any great degree.” However, others enjoy techspeak because it allows for communicating
emotions more easily. It may even help develop personal connections. Which
viewpoint, among those two and the many others out there, will win out?
My vote if for the less professional way. The tech industry is getting bigger and bigger and more and more people are finding themselves immersed in its culture. This culture doesn't involve dressing up for work. It doesn't require formal documentation. This culture has lots of momentum and won't be stopping anytime soon. Its def going to win out.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I've been thinking about is how Petrarch knew that he was the one speaking poor Latin. How did he know that his Latin was poor and the old Latin was better? Could it not have been the other way around? Is it possible that our modern techspeak is a more effective form of communication than academic essay English? I find it hard to read some of the articles I'm assigned to read in class but I think Memes and Gifs might be the easiest communication to understand. However, when it comes to language, I am a huge prescriptivist so I think preservation of "good" or "proper" langue is important. But I also believe in embracing the fluidity of human language.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kekoa. While I think it is good to preserve language, I think we should be open to adapt and embrace "the fluidity of human language" as Kekoa says. I think that this is often how we progress in many different aspects of life, by preserving the good from the past and adding more good into the present and future.
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