What will the English language be like in 200 years?

Question

Think back to Shakespearean days....how much the language has evolved...a new language is upon us...have you seen the commercial...wu..this cell phone bill , thats wu...anyway...its going there...is it going to go all the way? Will children know how to spell something as simple as "before" or will it be known as "b4" worldwide? How long before it happens? Do you think it will be in school , dictionaries , text books? Will we even need the common ink pen? We evolved from hieroglyphics , quill pen and ink , typewriters , word processors , computers , pda's...will paper be a part of the past?

Answer 1

Good question, I have thought of this myself. It seems to be (given the past history), that English will continue spiraling in an intellectual down hill land slide until it is no longer the same language we speak today. The English language in written using an alphabetical system of writing. That means the letters we use to spell our words may or may not make the same sound as the name of the letter. For instance cat is not pronounced, "see a tee". But I see it more and more becoming a syllabary. That is where the letter makes the same sound in the word as the name of the letter, such the phase, "I c u" (I see you), and your example, "b4".

Answer 2

I find it very intersting how so many people have answered this as if it is a terrible, horrible thing that is happening infront of us!

However it is inevitable! The English language is and always has been a changing and ever evolving method of communication. I do not think that words like "b4" will replace the words they stand for simply because it is quicker to type or write, it would need much more than just that. My thinking behind this is that typists have had short hand for years, and we still write in "standard" English, therefore there is no reason for it to change. However, words will always be added because we use it to communicate. So if something new comes up it has to be included in language!

Language will constantly be changing. It is NOT a negitive thing.

Answer 3

I'm going to 'star' this question because it's an excellent thing to think about and discuss.

I hope it does not turn out the way I'm fearing it will, which is improper usage of the english language, the way too many kids speak these days.

Only imagine it even worse than it already is now!

You're example of "before" being converted to "B4" is a scary thought, but with the way things are heading now, it's all too possible.

It's unfortunate how speaking and spelling English properly has moved down on the priority list of many kids this day in age.

I can't see paper ever becoming obsolete because it's always wise to have important paperwork, since computer files can become lost or corrupted.

Answer 4

The Language will change over the next 200 years, that is a fact, but by how much is the real question. I dont think that we'll see the scale of change as we have since Shakespears day, but that was a longer period. I think it'll continue to add new words, apparently WAGS is now an official word, and that only came about in the last 12 months!! I agree that we'll use more 'abbrv' in the future, and its a sad indictment of todays culture that we are allowing that to happen, the youth of today will miss out on so many spectacular words. Ho Hum........... bring back the good ole days!!!

Answer 5

I dread the days that phrases such as "init" and "get me" are considered good English!



I have absolutely no doubt that this will happen, as Collins English Dictionary are now entering words such as WAG and Hoodies than there truly is no hope!



American English already simplifies words; night becomes "nite", through is "thru" etc etc. The complications of English makes the English language, and speaks volumes of its history and origins! Let's not chuck away letters because they're inconvenient to language, as they are what make it! It's bad enough that dictionaries sometimes use the American Sulfur instead of Sulphur! All languages evolve, I can only hope that those in a position to teach this to future generations will show a measure of respect and embrace both the old and the new as this evolution is inevitable, and hopefully dispose of "Text speak" altogether!



One thing I have noticed on this thread is the use of "ized" instead of the English use of "ised". I'm beginning to think that English as a language has already started to disappear.....

Answer 6

A hot topic of debate indeed, and one which I discuss with people regularly when I receive communications with shocking grammar and spelling, or am told that spelling no longer has to be correct on all pieces of homework brought home from school. Correct use of language seems to be considered an option rather than the norm now. You only need read down this message board at the responses received, and see the irony that in a discussion about the bastardisation of the English language, many of the people commenting haven't taken the time to check their own spelling and grammar. I fear the worst for this fine language, but will do my best to keep it live and kicking. Just refuse to use text speak, and ridiculous abbreviations, and encourage children to read.

Answer 7

English is one of the most flexible languages in the world. It can readily absorb and adapt foreign words or new colloquial or technical terminology, or alternative grammar patterns, without necessarily losing the existing terms and structures. It has a vast range of registers available, which makes native-speaker English a minefield for learners.

Text message English is a tool, and a very useful and fun one, so it will inevitably retain and develop a life of its own as an appropriate register /jargon for its particular purpose (largely 'yoof-speak'). Elements of it will also become mainstream. That's how all languages develop.

It amounts to a kind of bilinguality, as its users will, in real life, be required to write normally too, at the latest when they enter the job market. Most can actually already do so.

The longer-term problems with spelling are more down to lack of reading practice than text-speak.

Answer 8

I believe that, rather than English becoming a homogenized global 'slanguage', it will differentiate into several different descendants, which will be used by different cultural groups rather than geographic regions. Txt slang and net slang lack the subtlety to carry out conversations about complex subject matter. These two kinds of slang may well merge but will still exist in a variety of dialects (cultural rather than regional in nature). But they will not become universal.



Some people will identify themselves with more than one cultural group and will be multilingual, just as some people are with geographically defined languages today.



The internet will not necessarily create a single global village where we all talk the same. An equal or more likely possibility is that it will lead to social balkanisation that will take effect more rapidly than ever before.



For anyone who can't understand how this might be so, I recommend the following reading:



http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2005/12/tribes_of_the_i_1.php

Answer 9

I have no idea where the English language is heading, but I think it's very interesting that some of the postings here criticising the language of others are themselves full of spelling and grammatical errors. For example, one of the respondents who fears "improper usage of the English language", makes such errors as not capitalising the word "English", refers to "you're example" (instead of "your example") and uses the phrase "in this day in age". And that's despite the fact that there's a button here you can press to check your spelling before you post your answer! The point really is that the language most of us are using now would be considered incorrect by many previous generations, both in terms of spelling and grammar, but we accept it as correct. The same will inevitably happen over the next 200 years, and given the current rate of change, I expect we would barely recognise or understand it.

Answer 10

I suspect that jive and other variants will become the norm, and will continue to develop. I also think that text messaging is changing the way that people spell things. In regular communications, the effects of globalization will help to standardize our language. English is already becoming an international business language elsewhere.



I do not think paper will become a part of the past, but computers will store most of our information. The interesting thing would be to see if we could override language altogether, and transmit pure thoughts. It's an interesting idea, but it would be hard to pull off.

Answer 11

I think it Will be the way in time to come i think that children will be tough how to spell properly but they will be allowed to write in text form, I dint think we will be using the common ink pen as we have computers and writing on paper will be a part of the past, but i hope this never happens i think you need a bit of the old and the new.

Answer 12

I'm not worried about the language. I can talk louder and scarier than any little kid with Nintendo thumbs.



What I AM worried about -- why does that little girl in the ad have a phone? Why is she permitted to do all that texting BS that charges up to her parents? Why is her parent so leient and joking about the situation; why does she indulge the little brat?



Finally, why does the cell phone service provider market itself to enable more abuse of phones by kids: "Buy our plan, and your little brat can text all she wants and the bills she runs up won't be quite so high, so you won't have to face the scary task of disciplining her and telling her 'no'."

???



Why are parents like this such douchebags? I would take that phone and smash it under my foot and shock some sense into that girl's brain, that we don't tolerate wasting our hard earned cash on some sort of wu idk bff bullcrap.

Answer 13

I hope that the language will get more efficient, whilst retaining some diversity and quirkiness. For instance, the word "through" is very long for one syllable, so I wouldn't miss the g and h in that case. Can't imagine B4 ever appearing in a dictionary, as it has a number in it.

Answer 14

We've just noted today that the Collins dictionary has entered new words such as 'wag', 'hoodie' and 'muffin top', the latter completely unknown to my friends and I (I phoned them!) although a younger person told me that they refer to flesh at the side of the waist - what we used to refer to as 'love handles'. As with all changes to language the major changes will be in the area we know as lexis (or vocabulary) because of innovations e.g. technological, fashion or kid-speak (kids always want to be different from their parents and elders and create words that belong to them only). The next area to change most will be adjectives (e.g. wicked, fit) where new or additional meanings are given to original meanings. Then verbs will change, again to accomodate new meanings e.g. 'to rap'. What will change least is sentence structure although there is some evidence that the 's' on the end of verbs in the third person e.g. 'he runs', might be slipping out of use. In spoken language, estuary English as it is known is spreading all over the country slowly (e.g. notice the speech patterns of the more northern women on Big Brother - the girl from Leeds and those from Lancashire have adjusted their speech patterns to be closer to those from the south. Language is always changing. We can do nothing to stop it (cf the French who try and fail to prevent changes to their language even though officially they would like to). Once a word or speech pattern becomes used by the majority in a speech community it will become part its language - the same applies to English. Finally, I once noted the use of the new noun 'double backer' which began to be used in the South China Morning Post to describe Vietnamese illegal immigrants who were caught in Hong Kong then paid to return by air to Vietnam - but then doubled back (a hunting or tracking term) to return to HK illegally once again. Once the Vietnam refugee problem was solved the word disappeared from use in newspapers and out of the English language.

Answer 15

Some of the tools we use today will definitely disappear and the words used to designate them will be forgotten (or will sound like "methinks" or "betwixt"). I am thinking of things such as "floppy disk", but also "DVD".



The fact that many more foreigners will speak English will lead to adoption of many foreign words as well.



One thing I would personally like to see happening is spelling simplification. English is now one of the most complicated languages in terms of spelling. Why do we have to spell "gh" to express such different sounds as those in "lough", "plough" or "gherkin"? I don't see what's wrong with "laf", "plau" or "gurkin"...

Answer 16

With a lot more vocabulary words from all over the globe as usual. Slang or shorthand will never take over the proper common language, otherwise, language wouldn't exist.

Answer 17

As a typical office employee I'd say that 98% of my communication is electronic - pens last for months! - but proper spelling is still demanded. Yoof-text or whatever you want to call it is existing alongside books, newspapers and "correct" language and won't replace them.

Answer 18

Surely it will have hundreds of new words coming from all the new technologies to come, but it will also have hundreds of words coming from many other languages that will influence the English speaking people: Chinese, Spanish, Arabic and others.

Answer 19

definite, we probable could have the potential to communicate with them. we can comprehend letters written 2 hundred years in the past now, precise? i do no longer think of this is any distinctive from having the flexibility to comprehend language 2 hundred years from now.

Answer 20

I think we have to reconsider our defnition of language; is it used to express thought, information, feelings, news, instruction.... every language has its "subtitles". a manager won`t talk to their customers like children in the street do to each other and the other way around. language is also a mirror of our society and if our language suffers rather think what`s wrong with the people creating it ;)

Answer 21

I agree with you. Its probably going to turn out for the worst for the english language.

Answer 22

well if a word is used alot, then it goes into the english dictionary, so theres gna be loads of slang in 200 years!

Answer 23

Probably a mixture of slang and bastardized Internet speech/abbreviations.

Answer 24

Thnk th nglsh lngge wll hv no vwls nymr

Answer 25

the english will a mixed among many languages

Answer 26

I don't think there will be a world left in another 200 years...

Answer 27

It wil sund lik this.

Answer 28

It's a scary thought, but your probably right!

Answer 29

inglish is rubish i h8 it innit.

Answer 30

there will be a new pure religion created by God

Answer 31

c u r t



(spoiler : 'can you read this')