Re:Computer Files Are Going Extinct
by anoncake on Sunday October 13, 2019 @07:40PM
(#21244085)
Many of your complaints are based on an incorrect assumption: That what people do is writing.
Of course it is writing in the sense of using the alphabet. But has everyone started to write books and essays? No. In fact, people write less than they used to because letters have been mostly replaced by other methods of communication.
What you think is horrible written English is actually normal spoken English, just output through letters rather than sounds. And spoken language doesn't look anything like well-formed grammatical writing that doesn't give your English teacher a heart attack.
> 1/2
I'm getting strong Sapir–Whorf vibes here. Language adapts to what people say, not vice versa.
> Increased reliance on idioms to communicate. Idioms use analogies
No, they don't. Idioms have a meaning that is divorced from their constituent parts. They have a similar role to words.
> Reduced general vocabulary. We have more jargon than ever before, but regular writing is simpler than ever. Generally speaking, a reduced vocabulary means more concepts are "mapped" onto the same words (like "great," a highly over-mapped word.)
That is simply not how language works.
> 3
I, too, am concerned about the recent invention of satire and polemics. I hereby Modestly Propose to eat everyone that uses these diabolical stylistic devices and feed the leftovers to the Irish.
Of course it is writing in the sense of using the alphabet. But has everyone started to write books and essays? No. In fact, people write less than they used to because letters have been mostly replaced by other methods of communication.
What you think is horrible written English is actually normal spoken English, just output through letters rather than sounds. And spoken language doesn't look anything like well-formed grammatical writing that doesn't give your English teacher a heart attack.
> 1/2
I'm getting strong Sapir–Whorf vibes here. Language adapts to what people say, not vice versa.
> Increased reliance on idioms to communicate. Idioms use analogies
No, they don't. Idioms have a meaning that is divorced from their constituent parts. They have a similar role to words.
> Reduced general vocabulary. We have more jargon than ever before, but regular writing is simpler than ever. Generally speaking, a reduced vocabulary means more concepts are "mapped" onto the same words (like "great," a highly over-mapped word.)
That is simply not how language works.
> 3
I, too, am concerned about the recent invention of satire and polemics. I hereby Modestly Propose to eat everyone that uses these diabolical stylistic devices and feed the leftovers to the Irish.