In recent weeks SMS has come up for discussion in more than one daily. Deccan Herald carried a report a couple of weeks ago. Much earlier The Hindu had a feature article on the same topic.

In Bangalore some students had used SMS in their answer sheets. Can SMS replace language  – in this case English — as we know it? This was the question posed by the Deccan Herald reporter to some prominent (and not so prominent) persons in the city. I say not so prominent since I was one of the persons contacted.

One lecturer boldly said that he would accept an answer written in SMS. Others were quite skeptical about answering examination questions in SMS.

Natural languages (that’s the linguistics term for languages like Kannada, Tamil, English, etc.) are quite complicated. They have an extensive vocabulary, a fairly complicated set of syntactic rules and a complex, fuzzy component called ‘Usage’.

It is not enough to be grammatical; it has to be idiomatic. Even those who master the first two domains (vocabulary and syntax) may be baffled by ‘idiom’. Add to this the phonology of the language, its sound system (pronunciation).  You get a baffling mix which forces many people (non-native speakers) to give up.  The story is told of a Frenchman who, arduously and assiduously trying to learn English, saw a billboard (it was about a film) which, after giving the name of the film had, under it the words ‘pronounced success’. ‘I give up,’ groaned the Frenchman.

The complexities of language arise from the fact that language is not just a tool for the communication of information but a vehicle for the expression of feelings, emotions and cultural identity... Where the Englishman says ‘Damn’, or ‘Damn it’, the Kannadiga will say ‘haalaagihogali. The English equivalent of the forceful Kannada nimmappanda? is not “Is it your father’s property?’

Attempts have been made to simplify English... A notable one was the Basic English movement initiated by C K Ogden (1926; the name was from the initials of the words British, American, Scientific, International Communication). A carefully selected vocabulary of 850 words was shown to be adequate to express most of what people usually have to day. There was a corresponding simplification of grammar also. But it failed; didn’t catch on.

Without going to such drastic lengths, the Americans have tried to simplify the spelling of English and, to some extent, to straighten the rules of English syntax.  There is much sense in this but the stubborn English will not give up their curious (and as it seems to many) eccentric spelling.

To be fair to the advocates of SMS they are not claiming that SMS can or will replace English. But some have started wondering whether it can be used for serious and extended communication as in answering university level examination questions).The answer is: No.

I have examined this question at some length in an earlier instalment of this column (Textspeak, EFY, April 7, 2005). I don’t want to go over it all again. SMS is a constructed alpha numeric language where letters and numbers replace words wherever possible. It is an argot with an extremely limited expressive power, designed to convey, as its name says, short messages... Ba.st.d go2ell.

A President’s prerogative

On the eve of the G-8 Summit in Japan’s Northern island of Hokkaido Dr Manmohan Singh and the US President George Bush had a meeting where a host of issues were discussed, including the nuclear deal. Mr Bush is reported to have said ‘It was a typical conversation among friends.’—The Hindu, July 18, 2008.

Among, as usually understood, is used when the group includes three or more members. When the group consists of just two members, the preposition is between. Actually the rule is a little more complex than this. Even when more than two members are involved, between can be used; cf. from James McCawley’s example: He held the ball between his fingers. (The point was discussed in detail in the column dated Jan. 11 and 18, 2007.) But when there are only two members, the preposition is between, not among.

One of Bush’s earliest goofs was when he spoke about America’s strategery in the Middle East. The very next day talk show hoists had a field day making fun of the President. Rush Limba, the most articulate voice of the Republicans, faithfully kept talking about strategery for quite some time. When Bush visited California, to congratulate Arnold Schwarzeneggar on his victory at the polls, he told him, in an amiable way: ‘You know we have both one thing in common. We cannot speak English’. (Schwarzeneggar is an Austrian immigrant who became the governor of California.)

Bush will long be remembered for having clearly demonstrated that even the mother tongue has to be properly learned and will not come with the mother’s milk.

The writer can be contacted at ksyadurajan@yahoo.com