Grammar Iz Kewliez
By: Star

Has the English language ever been more corrupt than it is now? With the wide-spread use of the Internet among this generation of teenagers, not only has there been the advent of new, peculiar phrases, but the spelling of words has been majorly altered. The current generation, apparently, is too lazy to type a few extra keys to spell a whole word.

Let's back up for a few moments here. Teenagers will be teenagers, right? Of course. Teenagers. The word makes my skin crawl. Anyway, each generation has to have a few key elements in their identity. One element that usually distinguishes generations is language. Marilyn Monroe's era had words like "gosh" and "golly". We all know of the Woodstock era, right? Nifty. Well, the current generation has no lack of this element. In fact, I believe that this generation has had the largest effect on language since people stopped using Latin.

I won't go deeply into music. I refuse. I'd get all into it and the whole point of this rant would be lost because I'd be too busy complaining and lecturing about how most new music lacks good morals. ...See? But, I will go deeply enough to say that music is a shining example of the manipulating that has been done on English. Surely, you have heard it yourself. I do not wish to repeat any of the so-called lyrics here. I won't bring myself that low.

Other than music, new phrases are always popping up in the everyday conversations between teenagers. "Don't you feel played!" What is that supposed to mean? Is this all a game? It sure seems like it.

From music and face-to-face conversations, we now go once again to where we started. The Internet. More specifically, screen names and instant messages. Now, you'd think that, since teenagers are very proud by nature, they'd show off their real names, right? Wrong. The screen names of teenagers usually fall into the categories of: 1) sex-based, or 2) racial-based.

Sixty-nine is a number. Numbers are used to count things. This particular number, though, seems to have found its way into a sick reference to sex. This reference is made all too frequently in screen names. Also of interest to note, the letter X is used quite frequently in online aliases.

Racial issues. Everyone hates them. Most of all, I hate them. I hate how people categorize other people. There are the white people ("krackers" in slang), the people of African descent ("niggers" or "niggaz"), Asians ("azns"), and the Hispanics ("'spics"). These words, too, have found their places in the screen names of young people. Especially "nigga" and "azn". So, if we put the elements to a typical screen name together, we will probably get something like "xXhOtTaZnBoI69Xx". Seen any that look like this? Don't lie.

Ah, now to my point. Teenagers are apt to change the spelling of words. And often, shortcuts are taken. "You" becomes just the letter "U". Is it so much to ask that a few extra letters be typed? Two keys are not going to hurt anything, except, maybe, a person's inability to spell. And, believe it or not, ability to spell is very important. Correct spelling leads to better knowledge of grammar, and a more complete understanding of the English language as a whole. Therefore, should one learn to type correctly, one's education is all the more advanced. Of course, education is very important. I can get a unanimous agreement on that.

Each generation has things that set it apart from the others. But a standard language should always be in use. Altering any language to the point of reducing whole words to a few mere letters is a bad thing. I'm afraid that teenagers just don't see that now. But do they really see anything before it's too late?