Is excessive use of slang, abbreviations and acronyms online distorting the English language?

"2 b or nt 2 b, thts de qn"

Looking at the way language has been distorted by online chatters, will the bard rise from his tomb and shout "U 2 Brt?"... err..."Et tu, Brute?" Or will he compromise by thinking  "that which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet"?

Instant messengers and chat users already compromised greatly on the use of the English language by introducing slang, abbreviations and acronyms.

Are we then losing touch with correct English usage? Foreign media reports tell stories of school children writing their notes and exams using abbreviations and acronyms.  This triggers some serious doubts about the future of English language and grammar.

K.B. Venugopal Nair, the principal of a reputed Kochi-based school finds no reason to worry.  The practice of note-taking and personal scribbling has been around for ages but has not posed serious threats to the English language. He however admits that the impact may be a bit more this time, due to the nature and scope of the Net. Nair himself makes it a point to use the standardised version, attributing it to his idealism of a teacher.

Sameer Gharat, a Mumbai based software developer uses online slang frequently. He agrees with Nair, "Though slang has been around for so long, it has not dented the use of the traditional form of English. This usage is limited to instant messengers and cellphone text conversations only." He feels that it would take a vast majority of English speakers to start using slang in order to make a real difference.

Former California University lecturer Paul Franklin Ryder reasons: "Part of the reason young people are evolving their own spellings is because the "correct" spelling of English is so full of pointless exceptions and illogicalities." What Ryder find alarming is the way the media seems determined to point out that everything young people do is wrong, dangerous, disrespectful or inferior.

Research on the origin of slang takes us back to the times when hacking was introduced. And a special mention has to go to the early hackers who are believed to have developed this shortened version of the language. Today, veteran hackers and the chatting public alike often use acronyms and abbreviated phrases alongwith those indispensable emoticons.

A study conducted in Canada on the language of the keyboard generation, Lingo Online, showed the comprehension level of abbreviations and acronyms used online peaked among users under 20. However, even parents and the older generation were in the know, the survey revealed.

The study clearly shows people draw a line between online lingo and formal English. For example, only 18 per cent of Canadians would use emoticons in an email message to business associates.

"If I want to write a letter to the management of my college, I cannot afford to write in a casual form," says 17-year-old Dubai based student Pooja Narayanan. 

Content expert at compassbox.com, Dr Utkarsha says she has never come across any such usage while interacting with her students. According to her, they know the seriousness of formal language when it matters. She is sure this trend is never going to affect language and grammar.

Ryder feels there is little danger of this trend "infecting" formal writing since all published language is screened by an editor. "People will continue to self-censor when writing formal documents like job applications or university essays where it is in their own interest to conform to common practice," he says.

Deepa Mishra, a Mumbai-based technical writer and a language lover, is of the opinion that this trend could affect language and grammar if the person starts using the same in daily speech. In instant messengers, she justifies using shortened terms to convey the essence of a message, using a limited number of words. AOL instant messenger has a limit of 512 characters, MSN has about 400 characters and Yahoo! allows 675 characters per message.

Ryder feels the evolution and adoption of this new linguistic mode is indicative of the ingenuity, efficiency and intelligence of today's youth and we should be applauding rather than endlessly criticising them.

"The point should also be made that spoken English is a great deal more flexible than written English and nobody gets alarmed by that," points out Ryder. However, he generally uses formal spelling himself because he blind types on a keyboard and uses the predictive text mode on his phone and finds both of these methods faster than using abbreviations. "Also, I think these abbreviations are a young person's style statement and if older people such as myself use them it looks like we are trying too hard to be young and fashionable!"

Online slang is however not always comfortable for those at the receiving end. "Some messages leave me clueless," Deepa says. Mumbai based customer service executive Shweta Dutta found it difficult when she started working two years ago. "Not anymore since I am used to it pretty well and use it too regularly, even when communicating with my boss," says Shweta.

"The need of the hour is control and self-restraint. It is easy to get carried away and start using this slang in everyday usage. Even then, we need to ensure that kids in their formative years are not too exposed to slang," says Sameer.  "There should be awareness of the importance of good language and grammar," Deepa agrees. 

Ryder believes in teaching kids useful skills like touch-typing in schools. He cites our ignoring that basic craft as one of the reasons behind the evolution of these abbreviations as a time-saving mechanism for people who cannot type fast and effectively.