I recently read an article about how the English language is drastically changing thanks to the internet. For example, we all know the "that moment when…" trend and how it's missing the independent clause. That being said, the article I read made the point that when we start our statement off with "that moment when" the people reading feel more a part of the story because "we've all been there." I thought it a really interesting topic! Because of the internet, the English language is changing rapidly and constantly. And not just written, it affects how we speak too. How do you feel about this? Personally, I think the changes give us more freedom to be creative with language than we ever have. Does anyone feel the same/have a different argument?
Adding the link to the article would be great. The more inlets of information, the more comprehensive the article can be. As for the actual topic itself, I think it'd be wise to consider slang vs. language. Your example with the "that moment when" phrase isn't necessarily representative of a changing language. The core of English is still the same; we still recognize that "that moment when" is grammatically insufficient. – Austin10 years ago
Building off what Austin said, I think you could almost look at how the internet is changing slang... because in many ways, it's very much slang and not the English language at large. I wouldn't use things like "all the feels" in a paper or an article or a formal meeting, but I certainly have and continue to do so in casual settings. It's an important distinction to consider. – Helen Parshall10 years ago
I think it depends on the audience. It's necessary to break the rules sometimes. I'd love to write a story using my local accent and dialect including some of the strange idiomatic language and slang we use in the North East of England. mickymoo15 – mickymoo1510 years ago