In today’s society, we like to shorten everything as much as possible.

You’s are now U’s, ‘your’ becomes ‘ur’, and in addition to words being shortened, phrases such as “talk to you later” and “be right back” are as well. Not many people read anymore and even fewer individuals write outside of what they are required to write for school or work. Earlier generations had poets, writers of great novels, playwrights and people attained enjoyment from creating and solving riddles.

Sadly, as a society, our average vocabulary isn’t as extensive as it once was and I’m worried that at the rate we are progressing, that language will only become simpler. Language is more than a plethora of words with a variety of definitions, it’s a form of art and the most important means of communication, only second to body language.

It bothers me that people seem to hate language instead of loving it for the unique and complex beautiful thing it is. In my opinion, individuals should try and better their vocabulary, if not expanding it, then at least trying not to shorten words when they text. Possibly challenging themselves with replacing a simple word with a more complex one can make the world of difference.

With myself being a bi-lingual individual (and hopefully knowing more languages in the future) I love language and even though at times I experience difficulties with interchanging the two, I cannot help but be fascinated by the complex inner workings of languages. From the little rules to sayings such as “I before e except after c,” language is one of the most beautiful things in the world that needs to be cherished more.