Language is a living organism that grows. It is affected by many factors such as socio-economic status, purpose and intellectual capacity of the language learner, age, gender, etc. There is no limit on the boundaries that language can break, or how it can be dynamic as generations change, or how one language in a certain place can differ when affected by several factors that originate from language learners themselves.
One great factor that shifted the way we communicate today is technology. McFarlane (2010) cited that communication in our modern technologically fast paced society suffers from “social myopia” because individuals now desire fast and brief communication with less emphasis placed on appropriateness in linguistic forms, respectful and orderly expressions, and quality effectiveness which is a time consuming venture. An example of this predicament are abbreviations that the “netizens” use (i.e. “LOL” for laughed out loud or “OTW” for on the way) to relay long statements with the use of few letters.
Kolowich (2014) added that technological phenomenon changed the way we talk. Radio, television, telephones, and internet have introduced their fair share of new words and phrases into our lexicon over the last century.
Many research and articles have been really assessing the state and effect of technology when it comes to people’s communication. As Przybylski and Weinstein (2013) stated, “recent advancements in communication technology have enabled billions of people to connect more easily with people great distances away, yet little has been known about how the frequent presence of these devices in social settings influences face-to-face interactions”.
As a professional teacher who specializes in Language, it’s very often to see students using these bandwagon words. These are words that they always use in communication, however, language teachers should always remind them that this is not the type of words that they can use in formal writings, speeches or even talking to a person who are not under the same level as them.
Language is growing, that is not a fact for debate, but, one should still look into formality. Remember that words are not officially accepted unless they are already published and accredited by dictionaries.
By: JETHRO M. NOCOM | Teacher I | Hermosa National High School
