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| The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey. |
We have been exposed to plenty of negative consequences
of the excessive use of gadgets and the unlimited access to social media
platforms. The side effects of these sophisticated technologies impact healthcare, reduce family time, distract students from their studies
and invite controversies when interesting Facebook statuses, tweets, pictures
or videos go viral. Here comes the next effect that many may overlook or take
for granted: the abuse of language.
Language is a tool of communication, but the privilege has
apparently been misused by some insensitive people. The distortion of language
seems to be increasing at an alarming rate as people venture into the
borderless world of the internet. They are getting more creative in
delivering a message as they modify the spellings and change the word structures.
This is practised by teenagers and young adolescents who may be
influenced by the infamous “You Only Live Once” (Yolo). Their ridiculous style
of writing often leads to misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the real
meanings.
This
phenomenon involves Bahasa Malaysia and English language. While we are upholding Bahasa Malaysia and strengthening the
English language, some do not take this policy seriously. Bahasa Malaysia has been our lingua franca for a long time and we should maintain the
quality of the language. Furthermore, the language has become a shared language
that unites the races and is used during formal
occasions.
Meanwhile, the effort by the government to boost English
proficiency among students will be in vain if they keep using improper
language when writing a social media update or creating a blog entry.
To schoolchildren, it is fun and trendy to type text
messages and online comments using awkward spellings to convey meanings. Some
of them coin words and mix the two languages (BM and English), making the sentence a mess.
Sometimes, it is upsetting to notice the
misspelling of common words by teenage users, not to mention intentional
grammatical errors and inappropriate phrases used by the students when updating
a status. Even if they want to go casual, they need to at least use
contractions, acronyms, clipping or hypocorisms in their sentences to avoid
ruining the language.
One implication of the frequent use of improper language
on social media and in text messages is the tendency for students to carry
the same attitude when writing essays for language subjects. These students subconsciously apply what they practise during their online chats, which results in mistakes. The word “you” will be spelled as “u”, “maybe”
will become “mybe” and “thank you” will become “tq”.
This issue should be highlighted during the language
month celebrated annually in schools to remind students to mind their language
every time.
The
responsibility to preserve the value and beauty of the language is not only on linguists but all of us. Together, let’s write it right.
Courtesy to New Straits Times
10 October 2014
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