Is English a dying language?

[Hand of Nergal]

Is English; spoken, written and otherwise going the way of the dinosaurs? The new generations with their chat rooms, emails, and text phones have turned to a kind of shorthand that George Orwell wrote about when he invented nuspeak in the classic novel '1984', a butchering of the Anglo-Saxon language. The English language has changed over time, adpated, added new words. Several words have come from other languages and found their way into more or less common usage (rendezvous, deja vu, reconnaissance, all French). I can accept that, what I cant accept is unnecessary abbreviations, deliberate mispellings, and a complete loss of the ability to use the language properly. Now I dont want to be too critical or hypocritical. Im sure I mispelled a few words in this thread and made punctuation errors because Im writing way to fast as I vent, but the point is that at least most of the time I try to get it right. What need is there to shorten the word 'the' to 'te', a word that several people have asked me how to spell for them, because they have forgotten! Also, 'pwnd,' it started as an accident on some chubby kids keyboard when they tried to spell 'owned' because they are next to each other. Some knucklehead thought it was cute and used it, and now alot of people do. Am I being unfair, it really bothers me that in every classroom and mall you can hear and see kids using this stupid fad/slang/dialect that is so widespread that it is slowly corrupting the way the language is supposed to be used. School is the last place those words should even dare to be ushered, in school they learn the classics; reading, writing, and arithmetic. Two of those deal with words, two, its very important language is, really, just read the story about Babel in the Bible (if you have any around and are in the habit of reading, and havent forgotten how to yet). I pray to the Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, Thoth, the inventor of language that future generations wont have their books burned by some Ray Bradbury type of fireman like in Farenheit 451 when our paperless society which is still in its infancy decides to do away with the old fashioned paper and pulp. Monday burn Millay, Wednsday Whitman, Friday Faulkner. Burn them all to ashes, then burn the ashes.
Let the hate mail come.

[Mathais]

I do agree we need to talk more face to face it sad when someone says to me brb lol. I look at them and want to slap them when they do. I must say that when I do talk to some younger folks they look at and text me..When am right in front of them. So ya we are losing the english to text and other thing maybe.

[Playfishpaste]

I don't think the internet has lead to the destruction of english, there are dialects in every language, ebonics and leetspeak are just dialects used informally, people will always speak proper english if they have been educated in english-centered areas. I personally just speak normal english in instant messaging, speaking any other way just gives you less diction, and it's hard to express yourself well.

[DekuTrash]

Some analyst's or whatever said that something arounf 85% of the world's languages would die out in 200yrs.

and of the 600 spoken today only around 60 will be passed on to the next generation.
So im brushing up on my Catala!

[Lord de Lyonesse]

Some analyst's or whatever said that something arounf 85% of the world's languages would die out in 200yrs.

and of the 600 spoken today only around 60 will be passed on to the next generation.
So im brushing up on my Catala!

Lol this is just facts from the thin air wheres your proof.

as long as people speak english language and teach there childeren the same it wont be going anywhere

[John I Tzimisces]

Lol this is just facts from the thin air wheres your proof.

as long as people speak english language and teach there childeren the same it wont be going anywhere

For someone as proud of the English language as you, you certainly could use some grammar and spelling lessons.

[Pious Agnost]

For someone as proud of the English language as you, you certainly could use some grammar and spelling lessons.

Ironic isn't it?

[neoptolemos]

English is not a dying language but is undergoing a change that gradually will make it differ in some aspects in the next decades from the English is spoken in our time.
This is a universal phenomenon and as a Greek speaker i will repeat the the evolution of Greek language is an example of this evolution and change

[Niles Crane]

No, languages just evolve. There is a great difference between the English of the 17th century and what we speak now. I don't believe that it will evolve to us using such 'words' as pwned, simply because the majority of people don't use it in common day life and those who do, are saying it just to be ironic.

[Eric]

I've taken to smacking everyone who uses an internet chatroom abbreviation or saying when talking to me in real life.

"Dude, brb, I gotta use the washroom"
*SMACK*
"You're standing right next to me, this is not the internet. Here we speak like people,"

[Zephyrus]

I've taken to smacking everyone who uses an internet chatroom abbreviation or saying when talking to me in real life.

"Dude, brb, I gotta use the washroom"
*SMACK*
"You're standing right next to me, this is not the internet. Here we speak like people,"

And they don't -slap you back for it?? Lucky guy!

[John I Tzimisces]

I've taken to smacking everyone who uses an internet chatroom abbreviation or saying when talking to me in real life.

"Dude, brb, I gotta use the washroom"
*SMACK*
"You're standing right next to me, this is not the internet. Here we speak like people,"

Have you really got nothing better to do than get indignant over such a pointless thing?

Only 60 languages being passed onto the next generation seems like a low estimate if you'd ask me.

[Hand of Nergal]

Im telling you guys, when you live as many centuries as I have you start seeing trends, I see the future, I see people forgetting how to read and write but still being able to, if that makes sense.
If you use the language without understanding the underlying intricacies and nuances you do not have a full grasp of it as a tool and engine of thought. Language is powerful, but only as good as our ability to perceive and utilize it, and it is dying as an art and medium if not literally. I see it surviving the next few centuries, but in ugly bastard form only. People are going to become sooo addicted and used to their technology toys theyll forget simple words tasks and when a giant solar storm fries all our electronics and we have no LED screens well wander to the libraries (if we still have them) and crack open the books only to find we cant undertsand them anymore!You wait and see...

[Lord de Lyonesse]

Is English; spoken, written and otherwise going the way of the dinosaurs? The new generations with their chat rooms, emails, and text phones have turned to a kind of shorthand that George Orwell wrote about when he invented nuspeak in the classic novel '1984', a butchering of the Anglo-Saxon language. The English language has changed over time, adpated, added new words. Several words have come from other languages and found their way into more or less common usage (rendezvous, deja vu, reconnaissance, all French). I can accept that, what I cant accept is unnecessary abbreviations, deliberate mispellings, and a complete loss of the ability to use the language properly. Now I dont want to be too critical or hypocritical. Im sure I mispelled a few words in this thread and made punctuation errors because Im writing way to fast as I vent, but the point is that at least most of the time I try to get it right. What need is there to shorten the word 'the' to 'te', a word that several people have asked me how to spell for them, because they have forgotten! Also, 'pwnd,' it started as an accident on some chubby kids keyboard when they tried to spell 'owned' because they are next to each other. Some knucklehead thought it was cute and used it, and now alot of people do. Am I being unfair, it really bothers me that in every classroom and mall you can hear and see kids using this stupid fad/slang/dialect that is so widespread that it is slowly corrupting the way the language is supposed to be used. School is the last place those words should even dare to be ushered, in school they learn the classics; reading, writing, and arithmetic. Two of those deal with words, two, its very important language is, really, just read the story about Babel in the Bible (if you have any around and are in the habit of reading, and havent forgotten how to yet). I pray to the Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, Thoth, the inventor of language that future generations wont have their books burned by some Ray Bradbury type of fireman like in Farenheit 451 when our paperless society which is still in its infancy decides to do away with the old fashioned paper and pulp. Monday burn Millay, Wednsday Whitman, Friday Faulkner. Burn them all to ashes, then burn the ashes.
Let the hate mail come.

Well i don't think it will as long as people keep talking speaking and using it in there debate like you have then it won't be going anywhere.

its the last and final remnant of Britains dominance over the earth really,

oh and one thing is absolutely clear French will never be the worlds most spoken language as the Brits defeated them in the seven years war for that purpose.

In this guide to E.U it was recommending me to learn another language as English is dying out and only 25% of people use it in the world, on further inspection this was wrong and its that treatment o learn another language that kills languages for if every person in the UK turned there backs on english and learned french instead then we would have problems.

[Niles Crane]

Well i don't think it will as long as people keep talking speaking and using it in there debate like you have then it won't be going anywhere.

its the last and final remnant of Britains dominance over the earth really,

oh and one thing is absolutely clear French will never be the worlds most spoken language as the Brits defeated them in the seven years war for that purpose.

In this guide to E.U it was recommending me to learn another language as English is dying out and only 25% of people use it in the world, on further inspection this was wrong and its that treatment o learn another language that kills languages for if every person in the UK turned there backs on english and learned french instead then we would have problems.

I don't think that's right. In fact, I don't think the issue of lingual dominance ever arose when the British went to war with France.

[Pious Agnost]

I don't think that's right. In fact, I don't think the issue of lingual dominance ever arose when the British went to war with France.

And people complain about mono-culturalism today

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Language does not die, it evolves. Today's English resembles yesterdays but is not the same. Yesterday's English resembles Shakespeare's, whose resembles Chaucer's. And so on.

[codfarther]

no.

[Desperado †]

Languages change. The good new words will probablly stay, and the bad ones will probablly dissapear. I mean, there a plenty of slang words my parents used that nobody would dream of using today, and their are some slang words we still use today that they used to use.

[Father Jack]

Language just evolves with time. If it didnt then we would all be talking like this; - Chaucer c.1300s

Whan þat Aprill with his shoures soteÞe droghte of Marche haþ perced to the rote,And baðed euery veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is þe flour;Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breeþInspired haþ in euery holt and heeþÞe tendre croppes, and the yonge sonneHaþ in the Ram his halfe course yronne,And smale fowles maken melodye,That slepen al the niȝt with open ye—So prikeþ hem Nature in hir corages—Þan longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,To ferne halwes, couthe in sondry londes;And specially, from euery shires endeOf Engelond to Caunterbury þey wende,The holy blissful martir for to seke,Þat hem haþ holpen, whan þat þey were seke.

Translates to

When April with its sweet showers has pierced the drought of March to the root, bathing every vein in such liquid by which virtue the flower is engendered, and when Zephyrus (Greek god of the west wind) with his sweet breath has also inspired the tender plants in every wood and field, and the young sun is halfway through Aries (first sign of the zodiac), and small birds that sleep all night with an open eye make melodies, their hearts pricked by nature, then people long to go on pilgrimages, and pilgrims seek foreign shores and distant shrines known in sundry lands, and especially they wend their way to Canterbury from every shire of England to seek the holy blessed martyr who has helped them when they were sick