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Old 25-Jul-2005, 10:43
Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim is offline
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Default Re: Linguistic Predictions

Well Tdol, I hope you could write a bit more so that I know exactly how to answer. As you know English is experiencing a situation unprecedented in human history. Alongside this development there is another development, that of information overload and growth. Any digitization is mathematical which means reduction, poor in meaning and beauty. The advantage of digitization is it is precise (not ambiguous) to some people. To me precise language loses one importan language trait: metaphor, multiple shades of meaning. The skill of writing something but implying something else will be lost. Just imagine we understand everything literally:
Question: Have got the time?

Answer: yes

On the other hand how can the present human language cope with the future speed pace and information density? There must a kind of a tool to take on this challenge. But any digitization is certainly simplification, reduction and language poverty.

If you mean English as a global language is simplification I would say never. It will only be a new type of English which might replace the traditional BE and AmE models. The steering wheel might be handed over to this International English. People have already stopped to be so pedantic as not to mix the two versions. It wouldn't matter. In a sense if you mean communication will be the goal not accuracy I would say: yes. We are already experiencing the age of SMS texting or sentence level communication. Even the sentence level is further simplified to silly words or abbreviations like "lol".
Regards
Jamshid

Last edited by Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim; 25-Jul-2005 at 10:50.
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