In the United States, there are many opportunities to learn English in a class entitled, “English as a Second Language”, or ESL.  It is offered in a variety of different venues in an effort to help people from other countries learn how to assimilate into American culture.  However, I hear English spoken as a second language in my everyday life as an American, among other native-born Americans.  The first language seems to be slang in its infinite variety: ubiquitous, colorful and sometimes offensive.

Street slang is the first language of many people, young and old.  And it varies within itself.  My only problem with this is that correct English may, in the future, be spoken so infrequently as to be foreign on American soil.  Maybe I spend too much time with teenagers.  I hope I am wrong.

The writing skills of secondary school students is falling way behind both in structure and content.  The use of phones as easy reference has contributed to the fact that knowledge is frequently found in simple definitions on smartphones, without the depth of reading articles or books in their entirety to find the kind of information needed to cultivate critical thinking skills.  This, in addition to the “shorthand” used in texting, has combined to deteriorate their spelling and vocabulary in general.

One of the things I find so difficult to accept, is that it seems to be happening more rapidly, day by day.  And kids are not even aware that they are not speaking or writing English, unless you point it out to them.  Even then, they often don’t believe you because, to them, it sounds wrong.

Isn’t that the way we learn language anyway?  From day one on this earth, hearing is the way we learn language.  We hear the words, the inflection, the tone and other auditory cues that help us learn the meaning of words and the structure of of language.  If the words heard and spoken as a child from infancy are a type of slang, they become the vocabulary that is part of their first language, and English falls into second place.

My main concern lies in the fact that to be proficient in any language, a person must first, hear the language spoken correctly, and second, learn to duplicate the sounds.  Only then can one learn to read and understand it accurately.  I guess my point is that if you, as I do, love the English language, then we must act together and do everything we can think of to promote it.  Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.