Ever since I heard a student tell a teacher “I ain’t gots to do nothin’,” I knew there was a downfall of the language coming. More and more, grammar is going out the window because everyone is writing the way they speak, and speaking the way they write. The only time this is acceptable is when writing a story in the vernacular. Currently texting has been the biggest downfall, though, because it embraces the desire to cut corners and shortcut wherever possible. So all the ‘nyms – homonyms, antonyms, and synonyms – are suffering along with the other language mishaps. And I’m throwing in homophones and acronyms.

I learned that any language could be garbled and maimed. I used to think people speaking another language knew what they were talking about, but an expensive mishap while assisting a client taught me otherwise. This person was deaf and used sign language. He was accompanied by someone I thought was his interpreter because they were signing back and forth and he was interpreting what was being said. I came to find out that the “interpreter” was anything but, and a professional was required to ensure that everything was understood.

Misunderstanding comes when people speak face to face, but with misspellings, misuse of words, and giving words new meanings make things more confusing. And using text-speak in written communications requires a new set of eyes to know what is supposed to be said. I know that this practice has spilled over into more formal communications. There should not be text-speak in business correspondence or academic settings at all.

Even signage has suffered at the expense of garbled language. The following sign language was on a store’s front door (wish I would have taken a pic) and was maybe a language barrier because of where it was located, but it still demonstrates the downfall:

NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALOUD

Please feel free to share any signs or examples you may have.