A Welsh researcher warns that sloppy spelling and grammar is dumbing down the language.
Professor David Crystal, a linguist at the University of Wales in Bangor, claims that the growing use of txt spk, linked to the fact that the bulk of the written English on the Interwebs is just banged out without a thought for grammar, spelling or syntax, means that accepted spellings could be killed off within a few decades.
Crystal says that, for the first time in centuries, printed words are widely distributed without having been edited or proofread. As a result, writers spell words differently and the new versions could enter common usage. Crystal adds that spelling became standardized in the 18th century when the first dictionaries were published, but that the spellings favored by internet users could replace the correct, more complex versions. Continue reading “The web is killing English – a tek srpski!”
