Texting/IM vs. English Language

     (In my essay I will prove that...) The English language is slowly dying due to the massive fad of text messaging and instant messaging. The messaging services have been around for years, but only lately has there been an outbreak in their use. When they first started out they were useful and they were a message: "Be there in a few minutes" "Remember to bring the coupons".  There is nothing wrong with text messaging and instant messaging, I do it myself often, but it needs to be toned down. It is getting out of hand. Numbers and single letter words and use of improper grammar and use of homophones will slowly destroy conversation as we know it.

     As it started people would use shortcuts (using numbers or single letters instead of words) to say what they meant, this made sense for phone companies used to charge by the character. In the recent years it is unnecessarily used. The number "2" is everywhere on the internet and phones, people forget how to use to, too and two. The letter "R" is used in place of are and our; our isn't even pronounced like "R". This is also affecting the way that people pronounce the simplest of words. I admit, not everything has to be pronounced precisely, but come on, it should at least have some differentiation.

     Simple homophones and contractions are inappropriately used. The most common one is the use of they're. there and their. Using T-H-E-R people can avoid what seems to be the most difficult, and mind-boggling concept that has ever struck the human race. In school assignments, essays or formal documents people have become stumped with these basic and commonly used devices. Emoticons are also being commonly used in these pieces of writing, (sometimes in scripts they can help convey a certain emotion that may be hard to describe) although hopefully not in anything too important.

     Many job positions require the ability to text to keep in touch with clients, although introducing it to teenagers and young adults could possibly be a horrendous mistake. Perhaps a limit on the number of messages sent per month could help put a stop to the degradation of the English language. Without the use of text messaging many corporations would be in different places, but it's possible that people would speak with better pronunciation and have better writing skills. I hope that in the future we will realize how much of an negative impact text messaging and instant messaging is making on us and the way we speak.