I'd have to agree that the current evolution of the English language is more like de-evolution. People aren't changing it because they are trying to improve communication. The vast majority of them fail to use proper grammar and spelling because they are ignorant. The people who do know the difference and still choose not to are just being lazy. I would have to say the largest contributor to this decline is cultural. By cultural, I don't just mean that it comes about from habits and being surrounded by people who do the same. I mean the American culture does not, as a whole, value communication, especially in the form of language. I've heard many people defend their ignorance by saying how is English going to help me get a job or make money? Mmoney is the great motivator in most peoples' lives here. Look how horrible business jargon has become in the last twenty years. Instead of shorting the phrases as in netspeak, it actually multiplies them. Teachers are not to blame. They cannot teach what someone does not want to learn. The kids do not value English and neither do their parents. If they did, they would bother to learn it properly. Then of course we have the ever popular music industry that makes it cool to use excessive slang. The bastardization of English will probably continue until we can barely understand each other. Then maybe people will figure out why clear communication is actually important.
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