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Recently I heard a segment on the radio addressing our nations problem with spelling. Due to the myriad technological outlets, we have created a new tech language. It permeates our emails, defines our texting.
As someone born before this was a norm, I often question words that appear on my screen. I want to know what the person is trying to tell me, I work it like a puzzle. And that’s just it, if we’re to be honest with ourselves, this new language isn’t going anywhere. So, let’s treat it like we would learning a new language. I can get behind that.
I’m drawn to languages and telling me I won’t understand it because it’s not my language is just motivation for me to learn it. That doesn’t mean I will be good at it and it certainly doesn’t mean I will use it regularly, but I can learn it.
In a time when not all states even require second language curriculums in school, when we barely speak our own language, incorrectly using their, there, they’re more often than we care to admit, let’s embrace our brain’s ability to adapt to new language.
Don’t get me wrong, when I first heard the announcer asking questions on the topic, I wanted to scream with frustration, how dare they claim that texting is a new language. But the more I ponder, the more I become okay with it.
See, I know what language can do, how it opens doors into cultures and experiences that otherwise would be unavailable to us. I know that language helps the brain stretch and work. So, if texting is a new language I hope that that’s exactly what it does, opens us to a broader world experience. I’m hopeful if not entirely convinced.