Let`s Mop Up The Slop

One might argue what the point is of having a standard form of the English language? History has shown that it is not once what it was. Let's ditch the prescri ptivism view and let language change take its perhaps inevitable course. After all, with the ever present technological advances apparent, we busy humans need to convey messages in the quickest amount of time and often with the smallest amount of characters. However, is there not a great sadness in advancing so quickly? Do we really need to perceive language only as a means of communication? Surely, the selling of novels today is a sign that we not only use the English language for communicative purposes but also for the beauty of it.

Perhaps we as a nation have lost our love for our language, as figures show that in 2011, 70 bookshops had to shut up shop over the course of the year. Even more were lost in 2012, as the figure for bookshops that closed in that year were seven times that of the preceding one.

However, this may not be the fault of the native people. In the media today, there is endless discussion on immigration rates and how they are affecting the United Kingdom. Could this influx of immigrants be tarnishing our language? The Office for National Statistics says that overall there are 53 "main" languages spoken in the capital. Figures from the Home Office would suggest not, though, as the level of immigrants entering the United Kingdom has fallen since 2011 as a result of certain government policies being introduced. However, have the vast rates of immigration in the past already had a profound affect? 2002 saw 84,132 asylum applications, 400% more than 2012's figure for asylum applications but perhaps the figure will soon soar back to that of 2002, as 2012 witnessed an 8% increase on asylum applications from the previous year. As mentioned earlier, the capital city of England, London, is a hot spot for immigrants. Yet, with the current economic climate, many immigrants can no longer afford to live in London and the capital has reached a point where it no longer has the room to keep the amount of immigrants seeking asylum there. Consequently, an over spill of immigrants who once resided in London either moves to less expensive locations or are forced to by the Government's Home Office. They bring their variances of the English language with them. Unsurprisingly, then, a major study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has shown a fall in literacy standards in England. 16 to 24-year-olds are falling behind their Asian and European counterparts, with England being 22nd out of the 24 countries involved in the study.

Fundamentally, what is the point of having a standardised English language? At the end of the day, communication is the key, isn't it? As long as the recipient understands the message I am trying to get across, this is the most important thing. I would disagree, citing this as the view of careless individuals. Language needs rigour and language is one of the key components of what binds a society together. As a result, a country's language use is a reflection of its society's general views and attitudes. If a society speaks in a sloppy fashion, they inevitably will have sloppy standards.

One of the definitions given in the Encarta Dictionary for England defines "slop" as writing without any literary value. Arguably, one's everyday discourse is not congruent to that found in Shakespearean plays, yet I believe it of the utmost necessity that we continue to maintain the English that exists today. If the language of past writers such as Shakespeare remains today, can't our current English language as we know it continue to be used in 400 years' time?