Articles of Faith: Words & Sentences

It has been said that true writers are people who find writing difficult. This adage is meant to suggest that good writing is no easy task, full of pitfalls and struggles. Certainly it is a task worth toiling over. Increasingly, it seems – putting creative, evocative prose aside – even the most straightforward written communication is beyond most people, with the proliferation of "text speak" and slang causing the mystification of grammar and spelling.

No-one likes rules, especially when they’re arbitrary, but their design in language is to enable a common ground where we understand each other. There are rules from which most writers, consciously or unconsciously, struggle to break free. Articles of faith such as writing full sentences and that sentences should not start with ‘and’ or ‘but’. But it is evident that the writers that set themselves apart are those who flaunt rules knowingly and skilfully, for they are able to adapt their delivery to match every circumstance and readership.

Grammar, Dialect and Evolution

But just how far can you push the grammar envelope? How many readers do you dare risk offending with sloppy, slapdash handling of the Queen’s English – even if when writing free articles? Well if online tools like the Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia have any say in it, within a few years, we’ll not only be speaking, spelling and writing in the language of the ‘streets’ (wherever they may be!) we’ll also be hearing less of the tutts and buts of old school grammar die-hards.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that sticking to the rules is becoming less important and that, rather than language being taught in its previously revered form, it is in fact becoming allowed to evolve in a more organic way to suit the times. Even the works of Shakespeare aren’t free from this supposed evolution in language; Hamlet was recently converted into street language and his most popular novel ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has been published entirely into text speak in order to appeal to the youth of today. In fact, it is the mobile phone and the introduction of text messaging that is being blamed for this shift in language. Text messaging has introduced a more instantaneous form of communication and, naturally, language and grammar have adapted in order to suit in with this new faster paced lifestyle. If you are running late for dinner or waiting for a bus, it is a lot more convenient to simply type the word ‘l8’ rather than ‘I am running late’.

Understandably, this shift towards abbreviated language has angered many people, with groups such as the Queen’s English Society aiming to preserve the more traditional use of the English language. Plenty of free articles have been written by grammarians despairing about the current shift towards a grammarless language. Rather than despair about this, perhaps we should all be embracing this revolution of words because hasn’t it actually been going on for centuries? After all – whatever became of thee, thou and shalt of Shakespeare’s days?