Month: February 2015

To Isabelle Kerr,

After reading your article about slang and how young people speak, I decided to write a letter explaining why I disagree with you. Firstly, just because some people chose to speak in a certain way that comes naturally to them and has a different dialect to you does not mean they cannot communicate properly, because what is the proper way to communicate? Young people normally use slang when talking to another person that understands it. So they are communicating properly as both sides of the conversation understands what the other is saying.

Secondly, just because these words have been placed in the Oxford online dictionary is not the end of the world. It is not forcing you to speak in that particular way, you still have freedom of speech and so do young people who want to speak slang. So you trying to stop the spread and evolution of slang is taking away their freedom of speech. The reason words such as ‘twerking’ have been added to the Oxford online dictionary is because before there was not a particular word that describes that particular act, so if someone was “twerking” it would take a lot longer to explain or describe the action before now. This shows the words relevance and usefulness.

In most cases I have experienced, slang can be turned on and off. Usually slang is only used when talking to friends and other people our age. However when the majority of young people are talking to older people or more authority our dialect changes, we know when more formal and eloquent dialect is needed. So just because a couple of popular words have been added to the dictionary does not mean that slang will take over the “traditional English language” as you say. I believe that you are over exaggerating just to make your point seem valuable.

You say that “these words simply promulgate an unhealthy culture obsessed with being seen” which is true however that is the culture that we live in today and if you disagree with that then maybe you should be doing something about trying to stop young people being brought up in such unhealthy circumstances instead of the words that promote them.

As Belinda Webb says in her article, “slang demonstrates inventiveness and quickness of thought” and “evolving not just from one generation to the next, one year to the next”. Slang allows us to communicate in the way that we want to and express our feelings at that time and as slang is evolving and growing every year you may be left behind. In the current generation everyone, especially young people use the internet more and more and are constantly messaging each other so acronyms, such as ‘lol’ which means ‘laugh out loud’ started to become popular. Then it spread until everyone was doing it. Next came abbreviations which started on the internet, until it began to wedge its way in to our dialect and we all started to shorten words in everyday conversation. This shows that it’s the way young people have grown up that has forced us to speak in this way. Therefore we cannot be blamed for the use of slang growing more and more popular.

I believe young people use slang because it gives them a feeling that they are part of something that other people may not understand, and then most other young people follow and copy because it is the cool thing to do, in most schools if you don’t speak slang then you will not understand most things people say and you will be left behind. Slang is part of being young it is our own language and what makes us different from the adults however I do agree with you to a certain extent, the young people of today do need to learn when to use slang and when to use proper English, slang should be kept out of the classroom and places of importance and when around people in authority.

The reason I disagree with your article is because the main emphasis is on these words being added to the Oxford online dictionary and that this has “disgusted you”, you even said ”Shakespeare will be turning in his grave.” this point is ignorant because some of Britain’s greatest figures such as Shakespeare made certain slang words in his day popular to the extent that we use them today such as ‘puke and assassination’ so slang is not a bad thing if it is controlled. In the next generation words such as ‘twerk’ won’t be seen as slang but normal English. Slang is also just a way for young people to have their own identity. This is why I disagree with your article.

Yours Sincerely,

Matthew Cheeseman

As I sit on the highest tree of my kingdom I close my eyes after a successful hunt, not having anything to worry about, nothing hunts me. I choose between others living and dying.  If I am not hunting then I am sleeping and even when I am sleeping I rehearse the perfect kill. My efficient, deadly tools that are my hooked feet and head are the reason to my great success which has served me well over the years. The high trees of my Heaven and all the conditions are advantageous to me as I search the floor for my next kill, I see everything nothing escapes my eyes and there is no hiding from me on the tallest tree in the woods that I have claimed and fought for many times. Everything and anything is beneath me. As my claws clutch the branch, I think to myself it took the whole of creation to produce my foot and my every feather as I am the best. I am at the top and now, every day I am taking creation in my claws and killing it wherever I please because everything is mine. There is nothing in sight that can challenge me This is how I wanted it to stay however that day I realised you can’t have everything your own way.

I was out on a morning hunt, just another day, nothing had changed and then once I caught my prey I turned back to go to my nest and eat my well deserved food. That’s when I saw him in my nest! Who would be brave enough to even go near my nest, he was getting bigger yet I was still quite far away from my lair. As I arrived I realised he was a giant! I have never fought against a Hawk this big before, I attempted to scratch his face but he just brushed me off, he didn’t even move. I flew off. I’ve never done that before. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time, to live and fight another day. I found a place to stay that night a couple of trees downs from my previous tree. I am disgusted at myself, I thought I was the King, I was the biggest, strongest and fastest yet today I learnt that I wasn’t. That next day I was tempted to try and take back my rightful place at the top of the woods yet I saw him go hunting and in one swift movement he grabbed his prey and devoured it instantly. That was the first time that I doubted myself.

After a few days passed as I watched him as two different hawks in quick succession tried to overtake his throne, the first just tried a straight up close quarters fight and was beaten almost straight away yet the second tried a different approach, he flow around and allowed the other bird to chase him, this is when I saw that the king was not so agile and around that area it was very compact with lots of branches sticking out of everywhere. The king eventually caught the second intruder but I could see that he was tired this was my opportunity and no other bird knew that area like I did, I had been there for many years. I went for it.

I flew up above the trees and rocketed back down again right next to this beast trying to draw him out, I could fell the wind brushing threw my feathers. Immediately he jumped out of the nest and flew after me, he could smell my fear in the air. He was catching up fast yet I knew what I was doing. I weaved in and out of different branches and lead him to the most dangerous part of the woods where there are only a few safe spaces to fit through yet I could see he was still followed me, as I weaved in and out of the branches I hear a Bang! He had clipped his wing and he wasn’t flying properly. This was the right moment to start the fight. I pulled up and into the open space, immediately I stopped in mid air with my long sharp claws out waiting for him to crash into them which he did, however he was still strong and put up a fight, he scratched me across my face yet I was biting his throat after minutes of fighting he finally backed down and flew off. I was victorious , I had won and gained my throne back at the top of the woods. I rested for a few hours remembering and experiencing my feelings from the past, feelings of pride and strength, never again would I let my nest go. The sun is behind me, yet things have changed but my eyes will permit no more change. I am going to keep things like this.