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Essay / Cmc and the oversimplification of standard language
As a medium in which communication changes, the language practiced through that medium also evolves. This is an effect that can be seen throughout history as new forms of communication have been popularized, such as pen and paper, the mass-produced book, the telephone, and now the computer and the smartphone. Each of these platforms had a substantial effect on language because they taught their users certain peculiarities that permeated oral and written communication. For example, while a "meme" once referred exclusively to an idea that would spread throughout culture, much like a gene spreads through a generation of people, it now appears to be only a reference to a type of online prank that exists on social media. platforms. This is the result of computer-mediated communication or CMC dominating the linguistic landscape and changing the language used outside of electronics. By looking at examples of how CMC can affect an individual's grammar, lexical skills, and spelling, one can better understand how CMC can negatively and positively influence the reading and reading skills of the younger generation. . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay To understand how CMC forces users to change their language, it is necessary to understand the restrictions that may exist on online platforms . For example, using MSN Messenger, sending a text message, or replying to a message on Twitter each have distinct characteristics even though they all take place in an online environment. These characteristics vary depending on the message size limit, synchronicity of communication, visibility, level of interactivity, technology and communication channel (Verheijen 129). When communicating on Twitter, users are limited to 140-character messages sent asynchronously and can be distributed via mobile phone or computer. This is very different from using MSN Messenger to communicate, as it has no message size limit, involves sending synchronous messages in real time, is completely private in terms of visibility and cannot be used than on the computer (Verheijen 129). Each of these characteristics changes the way users communicate due to restrictions placed on the communication medium. Twitter requires users to shorten both individual words and the overall content of their messages, while MSN hides messages in private conversations. As a result, users begin to understand different language patterns associated with the platform they are using. One of the linguistic concepts commonly associated with CMC is that of textisms, which are modifications of words and phrases using abbreviations, single letters and symbols. In Verheijen's 2015 study, the author revealed how different types of digital platforms tend to have different levels of textisms. She found that for every 10,000 words, MSN users included 1,775 text messages, while SMS and Twitter users included only 736 and 452 text messages (Verheijen 133). This data is interesting because one might expect that a platform like Twitter, which requires users to deliver shorter messages, would encourage them to engage in more texting. In reality, the fact that Twitter is an asynchronous platform that allows messages to be exchanged sequentially over time gives users theability to filter more of their text messages. Verheijen states that “Instant messaging, in contrast, is synchronous, making it direct, immediate, and rushed: users must respond quickly to keep up with the pace of the conversation in order to maintain speech” (134). Essentially, instant messaging teaches users that being able to send a quick message is more important than sending a message free of grammatical or spelling errors. Once users become accustomed to a CMC platform such as MSN Messenger or Twitter, the spellings they learn through CMC language can potentially seep into other areas of communication. Looking at a syntactic feature of CMC, it is often the case that CMC language encourages users to omit certain function words (Frehner 65). Rather than saying “I will leave the United States on August 5,” someone could get away with saying “I will leave the United States on August 5.” Although the meaning of each sentence may be the same, the structure and appearance are certainly different. This type of shortened sentences can be problematic for ESL learners who already face challenges that the usual lexical and grammatical rules of English avoid. When using CMC platforms, these users will be much more likely to misunderstand a message if it is changed to an almost entirely new language. Problems can arise if CMC users consciously or unconsciously begin to make these types of language changes inside and outside of CMC. For example, Frehner mentions how a corpus of electronic communications found that topic deletion occurred at a rate of 12.63 times per 1,000 words (Frehner 64). This can be seen in messages such as "I haven't received any mail from you, so I don't know where it went" or "I was feeling a bit crappy yesterday with reviewing the exam, so I just wanted to chat with you” (Frehner 64). . These sentences are grammatically incorrect and individuals who continue to make such omissions will be more likely to make these errors when communicating through other media. Although languages like Japanese and Italian can be considered zero-subject languages where noun phrases can be considered redundant, English does not have this same characteristic (Rizzi 501). Another problem with omission concerns copula deletions, in which variations of be are intentionally excluded. Frehner mentions how these deletions occurred 2.83 times per 1,000 words in the corpus she referenced, with about a third of the deletions existing in combination with the article's existential or ellipsis (Frehner 66 ). Examples of this might include phrases such as "Are you going to the prom later?" or “Free food tonight in the cafeteria.” In these sentences, the speaker omits the copulas, notably are and there is. Once again, although those who are fluent and familiar with English can understand the implications of omitting copulas, less experienced learners will struggle to correctly grasp their meaning. This is something that has been observed in copula deletion that occurs in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Lippi-Green explains that those unfamiliar with AAVE may have poor reactions to sentences such as "They drive on the wrong side" in which auxiliaries are omitted (255). The same is probably true for users unfamiliar with CMC and how some users..