{"id":1513,"date":"2013-10-25T13:00:10","date_gmt":"2013-10-25T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=1513"},"modified":"2013-10-25T13:01:08","modified_gmt":"2013-10-25T13:01:08","slug":"the-evolution-of-language-innit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/the-evolution-of-language-innit\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution Of Language, Innit?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"langevol2\"<\/a>As guardians of grammar, or the slightly more derogatory grammar police, it is our job to ensure language is maintained to the highest standards, adheres to all the rules, and stays the same it always has \u2013 innit?<\/p>\n

Like Charles Darwin\u2019s theory of the evolution of the species, the evolution of language is all about survival of the fittest, and us grammar geeks like to think the pen is mightier than the sword. Although we seem to be losing the battle, it\u2019s not all bad news.<\/p>\n

Rapid Changes<\/i><\/p>\n

Call it evolution, devolution, or revolution, there\u2019s no denying the fact that language and the way we communicate is changing at a fast pace, but this has always been the case, and probably always will be.<\/p>\n

Academics have argued over the origins of language for centuries, and with no tape recordings, written word, or Facebook to turn to, evidence based on genetics, archaeological, and paleontological studies is limited. Despite this, most agree that what we do know is that early forms of communication probably started to appear around 100,000 years ago somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa with our ancestors the\u00a0Homo sapiens.<\/i><\/p>\n

Since then oral communication and written language has changed rapidly thanks to cultural, environmental, and technological influences, so it\u2019s almost undistinguishable from our early predecessors\u2019 version.<\/p>\n

In recent history, the structures of sentences pretty much stay the same with 90 per cent of languages using a variation of subject, verb, and object, but it\u2019s the words that make up that sentence that have altered so dramatically.<\/p>\n

The Younger Generation<\/i><\/p>\n

Without any in-depth knowledge about the rules of grammar and sentence structures, children remarkably have an innate sense of how to write and speak based on their experiences and environment \u2013 but as they grow, they create a language of their own, almost indecipherable from anything we understand.<\/p>\n

Every generation bemoans the fact that the younger generation are lacking discipline, don\u2019t respect their elders, and their clothes, music, and hair are often targeted with ridicule, but it\u2019s them that often forge the way for change \u2013 and texting is largely responsible for that where language is concerned. Some would even go so far as to say that the youth of today is actually bilingual, and more advanced in their language skills than us older folk.<\/p>\n

What Has Been Forgotten<\/i><\/p>\n

But when was the last time you heard someone say whom <\/i>in the right context, if at all. If used correctly, who<\/i> is the subject and whom<\/i> is the object, as in Who are you?<\/i> or To whom it may concern<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Less<\/i> and fewer<\/i> are commonly confused, as are then<\/i> and than<\/i>, bought<\/i> and brought<\/i>, further<\/i> and farther<\/i>, can<\/i> and may<\/i>, affect<\/i> and effect<\/i>, lay<\/i> and lie<\/i>, and then there\u2019s my pet peeve when people say should of<\/i> or could of<\/i> which has derived from the pronunciation of the abbreviated should have<\/i>\u00a0(should've) <\/i>and could have (could\u2019ve).<\/i><\/p>\n

Texting Talk<\/i><\/p>\n

\"langevol1\"<\/a>But this haphazard breaking of grammar rules is becoming more common, and even socially accepted in some cases, as we start to write how we speak thanks to the introduction of texting \u2013 there\u2019s even a version of The Bible<\/i> that has been translated into SMS format.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s hope for us grammar gurus still, as a recent study by online dating site OKCupid revealed that \u2018netspeak\u2019, bad grammar, and bad spelling were huge turn-offs \u2013 with the worst crimes against passion being \"ur\", \"r\", \"u\", \"ya\", \"cant\", \"luv\" and \"wat\".<\/p>\n

But, on the other hand, if people were to speak in ye oldey English, they would be equally shunned by a romantic suitor for being pompous, dated, and a bit of a joke.<\/p>\n

So, we endeavour to uphold the rules of grammar ourselves, and try not to cringe or strike out when they\u2019re repeatedly broken, as the evolution of language has been going on for longer than we have, and will continue to do so \u2013 innit?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As guardians of grammar, or the slightly more derogatory grammar police, it is our job to ensure language is maintained to the highest standards, adheres to all the rules, and stays the same it always has \u2013 innit? Like Charles Darwin\u2019s theory of the evolution of the species, the evolution of language is all about(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,13,17],"tags":[57,177,66,178,179],"class_list":["post-1513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-everyday-language","category-language-learning","category-news-politics-religion-history-law","tag-grammar","tag-history-of-language","tag-language","tag-language-evolution","tag-text-speak"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Evolution Of Language, Innit? - Listen & Learn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/the-evolution-of-language-innit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Evolution Of Language, Innit? - Listen & Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As guardians of grammar, or the slightly more derogatory grammar police, it is our job to ensure language is maintained to the highest standards, adheres to all the rules, and stays the same it always has \u2013 innit? 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