Why slang is slaughtering English

It might be the most widely spoken language, but English is also the most massacred language. The real English has backslidden. You wonder how a language which has spent over 1500 years is facing such a relapse at such a time. The rules of speaking English have been greatly disobeyed by the use of ‘slang’. If not restrained, all sorts of slang will be the most spoken language in a few decades to come. By definition, “Slang is the non standard use of words in a language of a particular social group and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of new words from another language”. A lot of people borrow words from English, mix it with other non- English words and regard the whole composition as part of the English language. No, it’s not English. I call that an ‘English massacre’. The question still stands; why is slang overtaking English? These could be some of the reasons. Changing Trends This trendy generation today has changed many things and including the English language. People use slang because they think it’s classic and trendy; reason being they heard there favorite American celebrity say so. Young and old are the culprits. Several English words have lost meaning and pronunciation has changed too. For instance words like, “popi” to mean police, “babes” for girls, the pronunciation of a word like ‘alright’ is now “ait”, acronyms like, LOL (lots of laughs), LAMAO (laughing myself off), BRB (be right back)”; these have crippled essay writing. Unfortunately such language in the US is now called the ‘ghetto’ language. Influence of the media The Internet, TV and movies expose slang material to the viewers. Internet now has slang sites where words are born every day, some TV stations broadcast 24hour music and movies where slang runs. It’s without doubt then, that any teen interested in upgrading his slang language will come across such a site or programs on TV. If you visit sites like “slangdictionary.com” you will find evidence that the media contributes to the slaughter of the English language. Need to fit in society The need to feel part of a given society has multiplied reason for the use of slang. Teens find slang as the easiest way to express their views among peers. They upgrade and decode words only understood in their clique so that no outsider can understand them. They do this to ensure security for themselves. If a teen is talking on phone and, MUM and DAD are around, they will pour out all the slang vocabulary they know. This eventually kills their real English language. Besides the teens, the old need the security too to protect their world—that’s why there are words youngsters will never know until they grow up and ask their aged parents. On the other hand, several educationists argue that the point of language is to communicate, to express some idea or exchange some form of information between people, so slang has a chance to survive. Therefore, the English language is not necessarily decaying, but evolving. rutarindwabob@yahoo.co.uk