Dude, Language Is Not Dead, But Communication Is Alive

Dude, Language Is Not Dead, But Communication Is Alive

Today, language matters to the extent it communicates.

The success of Kolaveri Di is not just because of good music, but also because of its communication philosophy – short, catchy and to the point. A country dominated by its youthful population, this is what sells in the marketplace today. First we had Hinglish and now we have Tamglish.  In a world full of options, choices and information explosion, to get across you need to get them across to your communication style. For this, you need to be consistently and persistently creative and innovative.

Today, language matters to the extent it communicates. The classical understanding of communication is: when the receiver receives the message in the same manner you intended he/she should receive, communication is said to be completed. If the classical lovers of language concerned themselves more with quality of language as a necessary attribute for good communication, today, what matters is the result, it doesn’t matter how you spell words. Short Messaging Service itself lost its identity to SMS, and words like `see you` have shrunk to `c u`, `right` has become `rite`, and `love you` has become `luv u`. `Hello` has made way to `hi`, and words like dude and cool are part of common usage. 

The connoisseurs of language are probably aghast at what’s going around masquerading as communication. But this trend is here to stay – there are no two ways about it. Communicating in two languages or more in one communication is also an in thing. For example, sentences like, `when are you calling me – kal ya parsoo`, is commonplace. Short form of communication (Shofo), like talking in acronyms and referring to film titles by only mentioning their alphabets are also a trend. In a multicultural and multi language society like ours, where, now, not agriculture, but technology is a greater binding force, reinvention of day-to-day communication was perhaps kind of just waiting to happen.

Communication patterns in society reflect the society itself. Pre-liberalisation, we lived in a slow paced world and waited for things to happen. But now, you cannot be passive and hope that you’ll be unaffected by your surroundings and changing behavioural and communication patterns in society. The world keeps moving all the time. The youth are defining, deciding and deciphering the pace of life, and there is no getting away from this reality – their sheer numbers are overpowering.

The increasing trend of parent-children conflict is a result of old versus new patterns of communication. In pre-1991 years, children had to be `told`, had to be `made to understand` and had to be `tracked`, a reflection of the times limited by choices, but with an abundance of time. But today, there is an abundance of choices, and therefore limitation of time. Today’s generation don’t mind being told, as long as they are not lectured. They don’t mind being made to understand as long as they have the freedom to take the final decision, and they don’t mind being tracked as long as they are given a mobile phone.

So, what then is the future of language? While the language purists may fume at the degradation of expression, the fact is there probably was never greater marketable potential of good language. Today, language, especially in the form of writing, be they through blogs or books, has great eye-catching and money making potential, as long it is racy, creative and contemporary. No doubt, quality of language is very important for the intellectual evolution of society, but in a world ruled like never before by technology and innovation, what is called for is racy intellectualism. Yes, in the serious writing space, allowing dilution of spellings or construction of sentences could severely jeopardize ideation of substance, and in that sense, turning a blind eye to such a possibility would only create a much avoidable intellectual slide.

While I am not an advocate of SMS language as a culture, I am empathetic to its presence. But the beauty of language lies in the choice of words, framing of sentences, expression to context, and providing simplicity to complexity. But importantly, words and language give life to thoughts. Just imagine how we would let the world know what we are thinking if there was no basic orientation on our language of expression? Without words and language, would we be able to think even?

So, just get this dude! language can never die. Just as humans go through turbulence, this is the age of turbulence for language, but just like humans, it will emerge more enriched. So, rest assured, language is not dead, but communication is alive.