Despite the sadistic timetable allocation (the last of four two-hour lectures every Monday) and content-heavy nature of my Music History course, the lecturer’s endless wealth of knowledge – and refreshing linguistic ability to express it – made the lectures worth attending. I never ceased to be amazed at the buffet of delicious adjectives he so effortlessly produced; always doing the beautiful music we studied justice.
So, having just marked our latest batch of essays, it came as no surprise that he felt obliged to comment upon our (often hilarious) grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and misuse of vocabulary. However, as my ears perked up at the mention of “the subtle nuances of the English language”, I noticed that not everyone seemed to share my enthusiasm. No, the whispered (and some not so whispered) remarks of my neighbours – “Who cares? It still makes sense...”, “God, he’s so pedantic!” and “Can you explain that again, in English?” – made that quite clear.
In a world where words longer than three syllables are now compulsively shortened with an ‘o’ (for your speaking
Yes, we can blame Australia’s less-than-satisfactory education system; where spelling and grammar are nonchalantly sacrificed for longer playtime and extra PE classes. Or maybe this overwhelming technological boom is the real instigator for “dis kewl nu way 2 txt 2 ur bffls”. Overshadowed by the blinding light of our iPhone and iPad screens, it seems that our appreciation for the English language is fast fading into the darkness, along with the ancient Walkman and paperback novel.
But somehow, I don’t think “my primary school teacher liked sports better than English” or “it’s how everyone writes these days” is going to quite cut it at our next job interview. After all, the pen (or keyboard, if you prefer) is mightier than the sword.
So boys and girls, next time you reach for that glossy Cosmo or FHM magazine, opt instead for a good piece of literature.
Note: think Jane Austen, NOT Stephenie Meyer.
