What kind of linguistic change do you notice in the 21st century communication through
different kinds of media?
Language, like any other academic field, is constantly changing and evolving at an
increasingly fast rate more than ever. Language changes across time & space, social
groups, cultures and subcultures, ethnic groups - ranging from continent to continent.
Language transcends generations, pronunciations evolve and take different forms,
words are invented and borrowed from other languages and cultures, with its roots
dating back to thousands of years, the meaning of old words shift and change until it is
unrecognisable, and morphology shifts by decaying or developing into something
profound. The rate of change varies depending on culture and history. Names start to
go extinct and whatever original meaning a word contains in our native tongue slowly
becomes endangered due to technological change and the lack of nourishment a
particular language requires. Language will not remain mutually legible after a few
hundred or thousand years. The matters of usage of any language, its spelling and
pronunciation will eventually wander around and flow adrift from its place as time
travels and as people mould it into various forms to fit their narrative.
Linguistic variation has also been touched upon by technological change which is
advancing ever so rapidly. Although, individual language varies a great deal and
depends upon a unique combination of social, economic, political, geographic and
historical factors; the West being the dominant reason for changes in the English
language through different forms of media. Language change illustrated in the media is
predominantly acknowledged by the Gen - z (typically those those born between 1997
and 2015) followed by millennials (typically those born between 1980 and 1996) as
these age groups contribute to the majority of adaptations through pop culture, sports
and specific teams that ignite team-spirit upon its fanbase, endorsements of celebrities
(fan clubs), and memes which are basically text posts that are humorous in nature,
often spread rapidly by internet users, with slight variations depending on the
context behind the post. New colloquialisms spread like wildfire among groups of
similar interests as they can be found on different social media websites and can be
easily shared and adapted into their daily usage of any language. Slang terms are
particularly widespread as they often aim to serve a purpose by fulfilling a void a
language may have previously possessed. They also shorten different concepts and
terminologies and merge those meanings into one - which is then used by people to
express different ideas or concepts (in an informal setting). Slang terms evolve pretty
rapidly, every year or so as technological advancements and devices make it easier to
keep up with the world, hence, the ingenuity of language knows no map, no direction,
no borders - it is boundless.
Social issues such as race, class and gender in relation to linguistic variation play
a significant role in language. People tend to hold strong views on world affairs,
politics, and other current headline-making topics which may cause various sides
to run to social media to express their support or viewpoints. Even the most
sensitive matters can be diluted through word play, as long as the medium of
expression and the words effectively evokes emotions amongst people and
encourages them to take action about such matters. Nowadays, there is a slang
term that touches upon every subject possible - from sports to music, there is a
word that is well-known and kept alive by people no matter how niche the interest
may be. Furthermore, the usage of vulgar slang or profanities is on the rise as
such obscene topics of discussion are often a source of enjoyment for the youth
along their closest peers. Although most of these terms will never hit the walls of
offices, schools or other professional spaces, it fills the air of clubs, bars, and
social hangout spots.
To fuel this unprecedented change, emojis are also commonly used. An emoji’s
primary function is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from typed
conversation. They exist in various genres, including facial expressions, common
objects, places and types of weather, and animals. These tiny icons are used to
demonstrate how a person is feeling, and often they do the job better than any word
could. However, as humans, our perception of the world varies drastically from
person to person and the way a certain emoji will be deciphered and encoded by
one person, may not be reflected upon the senses of another person. This may give
birth to miscommunication unless the original sender has a deep understanding with
the receiver. Emojis are now seen as a part of popular culture across the world, with
different operating systems and apps developing their own set of emojis- to fulfil their
own agenda and establish a role in the grand scheme of things.
Moreover, abbreviations are constantly on the rise with no signs of stopping.
Abbreviations used about five years ago can become outdated as people invent
new acronyms for every possible reason. Although they came to usein order to
save time and speed up the process of delivering a message, acronyms and
abbreviations are now deeply embedded in language, specially on the internet.
Apart from this, conjunctions are now in trend more than ever - kind of becoming
kinda, and and got to becoming gotta, the multifaceted surfaces of a language
seems to take new, unimaginable forms like a playdough that lacks solidity.
Even the most sensitive matters can be diluted through word play, as long as the
medium of expression and the words effectively evokes emotions amongst
people.There are seemingly subtle changes and wider prominent changes. As
media is an omnipresent source in every waking life, language leaves its mark
the moment it leaves our mouths, sent in text messages, planted in our writings,
and watered by our subconscious choice to use a particular word to convey our
thoughts. Media ranges from television to mobile devices, thus every adoption
will be shaped accordingly. Language cannot be preserved; it can only be used to
solidify our existing relationship with the world by breaking it down, making it up,
or completely reinventing it to the point of unfamiliarity.
