y r u talking like dat?

Digital technologies, specifically the internet as a forum for communication, have begun to change the English language in very specific and very unique ways. During our in-class computer activity, Diane noted that these technologies seem to signify the downfall of standard English and the rise of some other, trendier version of it. Another commenter argued that the use of non-standard English on the internet likely resulted through contributions to the conversation by participants who had little or no access to the type of upbringing that would have provided them fluency in Standard English to begin with. While I do think that Standard English gets pushed aside in popular forums of digital communication (texting, Facebook commenting, commenting on YouTube videos, etc.), I don’t think this phenomenon means more than the favoring of non-standard English dialects on the black top at recess or in malls and teen hangouts on weekends. What does seem different, though, is seeing this type of non-standard dialect in print.

I like to think of the digital age as offering to us a type of pidgin language that unites participants from a variety of walks of life. We ought to look at these collisions as positive, potential opportunities for the generation of new ideas and new conversations. I don’t think, however, that Standard English is doomed (or any more doomed than it would be without the internet). A time and place for the use of Standard English still exists, and spell check and access to online dictionaries and thesauri seem to underscore its importance.