Friday, September 08, 2006
"Improper Use of Language"
i just happened to come across a discussion - a debate on whether "sms language" and in general any kind of modification or customization constitutes an "improper" use of language. that "purity" of language must be observed. that "correct" use of language is sacred. i drafted out my response initially as a reply to the discussion, but of course, as it always happens, it over-ran the length limit of a reply! and well, i thought a better platform for my views would be a personal blog.
so there, well, let me hit upon the basics.
what is the meaning of language? it's a symbology - spoken or written or using any kind of medium - whose purpose is communication. obviously, communication between two or more people.
allow me to picture a simple scenario. a man and a woman. they enter into a relationship. maybe they get married...etc etc. over their interaction right from the beginning, they discover several commonalities in their pattern of thinking and the way they express things through language. they develop sweet personal ways of saying things to each other. ways that only they know and use. new and short words that they take pleasure in using - in their personal talks. they "develop a language of their own".
this is not a hypothetical scenario, it's world reality. the point i'm trying to put across is, *natural* language is essentially a system of communication between two people, that they learn and then "develop" amongst them according to how their "chemistry" or relationship proceeds.
two things here. firstly, it's natural language that we're talking about. a computer programming language or a formal language must not be what you're trying to confirm your natural language to. they are formal systems. humans are not. a natural language is thus, subject to nurturing and maturing under the influence of cultural, personal and relationship aspects. secondly, the meaning of the word "develop" used above must be carefully understood. development of a natural language in the context of interaction between two people is really a natural process of inventing higher level constructs that enable them to express their thoughts/feelings/ideas more and more concisely and with a more "personal" touch that is basically a reflection of the relationship they share. by this meaning, even sms language might, depending on the people involved in communication, lead to "development" of language.
so then keeping in mind the above meaning of language that i've attempted to describe, all the negative connotations that people associate with modifying and "personalizing" language is obviously a non-issue. it is, at most, an invariable response but expected from "language nerds" and compulsive puritans. i'll admit, sometimes i myself get irate of stupid short-cuts used in sms language. but then that is simply a matter of the other person over-estimating the level to which the language between us has developed. as for purity of language, i myself am a fan of beautiful use of language; one of my favourite authors is p g wodehouse. but i'm sure a woman would throw a fit if i were to make the following proposal in the hope of fixing up a date with her: "with the all-intoxicating beautiful pleasant weather and the sweet romance that i smell in the air tonight, it would be my most desired pleasure on this delightful evening to have your time and your lovely company for a dinner my dearest lady..." ^_^
# posted by Ankur Sakhuja @ 9/08/2006 01:23:00 PM 
