Re: spoken & written usage

[Romay Jean Sitze <rositze -at- NMSU -dot- EDU>]

On Wed, 16 Nov 1994, John Lee Bumgarner wrote:

> Movement, transportation, and media, I would assert,
> worked hand in hand to help spread language and aid cultural borrowing.

While I don't know whether the media contributed to the use of "go" for
"said" or "I'm all"  etc., I do believe that the media, including the
written word as well as other forms of media communications, has affected
much of the language usage we commonly hear today.  Slang, profanity, and
common grammatically incorrect speech patterns have proliferated in direct
proportion to their inclusion/acceptance in and through the media.  I've
been around for a few years, now, and I have been very aware of this
connection.

> Lastly, language is often used as an exclusionary and
> an inclusionary tool, especially among the young.

This pattern has been observed for many years.  I believe Plato even
commented on the phenomena, if I remember correctly.  (Wow, that sounds
like I really have been around a few years!)

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                RoMay Sitze                 rositze -at- nmsu -dot- edu

                Practice makes perfect--or perfectly awful.
                It depends on what you practice.

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