Words and Pictures

[sjintje]

Will the use of screens and menus full of icons rather than words (and sub folders) that are now virtually the only way of accessing computers and the internet affect the way younger generations learn languges?

(God, I really need to rephrase that to make it clearer, but I got to go)

[tomgosse]

Will the use of screens and menus full of icons rather than words (and sub folders) that are now virtually the only way of accessing computers and the internet affect the way younger generations learn languges?

(God, I really need to rephrase that to make it clearer, but I got to go)

I don't think so. Languages are spoken before we learn to write them. Writing is only a code for the sounds we already know. Writing may change due to technology, but the underlying language will not.

[language2015]

Writing may change due to technology, but the underlying language will not.

God is this true for me.

Microsoft word has destroyed my ability to spell.

I just type five pages worth of typos now and then go back with spell check to correct my writing.

[Montmorency]

Will the use of screens and menus full of icons rather than words (and sub folders) that are now virtually the only way of accessing computers and the internet affect the way younger generations learn languges?

I'm not sure I accept your premise, at least if we are talking about computers, rather than mobile devices.

I haven't seen Windows 10, and I didn't use Windows 8 very long before getting rid of it, but even Windows 7 is reasonably icon rich, but this is still supported by words if you want/need them.

However, perhaps you are right to highlight a trend. There is a trend away from "traditional" computers (especially ones with physical keyboards), and more and more towards mobile devices. People are posting short tweets or relatively short Facebook postings. I have noticed a marked decline in both the quantity and quality of emails (other than spam) in the last couple years, and this can only be due to the increase in use of keyboard-less mobile devices. In the past the only users of email were computer users, and most of these had keyboards. Not any more. And even though young people are incredibly agile in their use of virtual keyboards, I don't see how they can be as efficient as the real thing for typing in significant amounts. Therefore there is an inbuilt pressure to type less.

We have noted elsewhere here a move away from forums, and I imagine the reasons are similar.

I'm not sure that it's a very healthy trend, but it's unstoppable.

By the way, the brevity of the OP's "hit and run" post kind of underlines the point really!

[sjintje]

I don't think so. Languages are spoken before we learn to write them. Writing is only a code for the sounds we already know. Writing may change due to technology, but the underlying language will not.

True, but a child's language is still fairly immature at the time we learn to write, or use computers.

To be honest, I actually started by wondering about the effects on intelligence in general. It takes my old brain longer to look at a screen full of icons and find what I want, than it used to with alphabetically ordered menus and sub menus. Presumably microsoft believe that most current users' brains work better with pictures. So users' brains are presumably doing more parallel processing than my sequential old brain. And I suspect spontaneous language use requires a lot of parallel processing. So future language learners with brains formed by these systems may actually end up being better language learners than ones who grew up reading words.

(I think learning foreign languages really is having a negative impact on my native language. I seem to be writing utter rubbish)

[sjintje]

By the way, the brevity of the OP's "hit and run" post kind of underlines the point really!

Brevity is a virtue.

I don't want to make it an argument about computer interfaces, but you will probably have to "upgrade" one day, and you may find actual words are rarer than you thought. I used to like a few icons myself, but when that's all there is, it starts to become more of a strain.

[Zireael]

I wouldn't be suprised (look at emoticons and emoji) if in several years we were suddenly using even more icons that now in our posts and e-mails.

We might end up using something like IConji.

Like somebody posted above, I don't think it would affect our FLA or SLA or speaking, it would just be an evolution in the way of writing. Limited to computers and electronic devices, of course.