Language is a work in progress

Slang, text-speak and outrage in the exam hall. Keiron Nicholson wonders why the people obsessed with good language are those who least understand it.

''So why should text speak be allowed in exams? Well, even if you hate the sight of it, the answer is simple - because people use it. '' ''It's a great shame that educators tend to view the Oxford English Dictionary as some kind of Bible, when all it ever can be is a snapshot of a moment in time - an unfinished masterpiece.'' ''Shakespeare would have hated these guys, and the English language just doesn't need them. In fact, they're slowing it down.''

Nowadays they accept text-speak in exams, and why not? Why should children be assessed by people who fundamentally misunderstand the nature of language?

Language is a work in progress, and always will be as long as it continues to actually be used. It changes to fit the world - old words fall into disuse, new ones are created and popularised, and meanings are constantly shifting. It's a great shame that educators tend to view the Oxford English Dictionary as some kind of Bible, when all it ever can be is a snapshot of a moment in time - an unfinished masterpiece.

English itself is one of the richest and most expressive languages in the world, specifically because of its tendency to change. Today it's a rich stew of Germanic, Scandinavian, Latin, and who knows what else. Its ability to adapt is its greatest strength - so why should educators deny it? The language of text-speak in particular is seen as an ugly abomination by many, but I see it as a beautiful example of English evolving to survive in a new environment.

So why should it be allowed in exams? Well, even if you hate the sight of it, the answer is simple - because people use it. Language is a tool for communicating and nothing more. If somebody uses a word in an English language sentence, and other people know what it means, without explanation, then it's a part of the English language - it's as simple as that. This applies to slang, and text speak, and abbreviations, and it isn't countered by the fact that certain groups of people can only hear gibberish when you use it. If it's a used and useful word it will eventually become commonplace - it's just that there's an age gap between people who get it and people who don't.

Besides, I bet that the same people who hold up English as a language frozen in perfection will tell you, without fail, that William Shakespeare was the greatest playwright of all time. But Shakespeare himself introduced at least 600 words into the English language through his plays - from other tongues and from his own imagination. 'Cold-blooded', 'flawed', 'fashionable', 'invulnerable', 'majestic', 'obscene': wonderful words that the language is greater for having accepted - even though once upon a time, few people knew what they meant.

Critics of real-world language in exams think they're fighting on the side of Shakespeare, of the great playwrights, of the English language itself! But they're fighting a losing battle. Shakespeare would have hated these guys, and the English language just doesn't need them. In fact, they're slowing it down.