Topic – Most Korean adolescents and adults have a cell-phone and a computer, and communicate through email and text messaging. Communication through these means is usually quick, and messages are short and abbreviated. Is the overuse of email and text messaging eroding the quality of Korean language?


Thanks to the recent Korean communication technology, now nine of ten juveniles and adults have a cell-phone. Especially for adolescents, they prefer to send text messaging to one another. According to one survey, more than three million text messages are sent per in Korea. However, this quick and easy means of communication is not always good. Overuse of text messaging has severely damaged the Korean language, and some forms of abbreviated forms are really hard to decipher.

When sending a text messaging to others, people especially under age of 17 usually use shortened and abbreviated languages. They tend to write languages just as it sounds like, or simplify the complex words at their own convenience. The problem is, by overuse of them, people began to think those incorrectly abbreviated words are the actual words! One time my friends asked me to proofread their papers, and I was shocked by all those incorrect spellings used in text messaging. This experience showed me how overuse of text messaging language effects the quality of the Korea language.

There is another form of text messaging language that has come into fashion. It is slightly different from abbreviated language. It is not shortened or abbreviated but misspell words or expression on purpose. This form of language is called “Alien Language”. The reason why it is called “Alien Language” is that it’s seriously depicted (misspelled) from the original word, making it almost undecipherable. This language was very popular a year ago. One of my friends used to keep sending me text messages in Alien Language. At first I tried hard to figure it out what that meant, then I got so annoyed after he kept sending me those. Making an Allien words could be fun, but we need to think the ones who have to decipher them could get annoyed and angry.

There is no doubt that communication through messaging is quick and convenience. But people use too much of shortened and Alien language for fun and saving time. People who use them don’t realize that overuse of them will effect our own Korean language significantly. Besides, even kids who are not really capable of using correct grammar and spellings tend to use those abbreviated languages. To deal with this problem, we need to control ourselves and teach correct language to our next generation.