SOTA
That is, a Sign (or Signs) of the Apocalypse.
Here's Ted Widmer on the 75th anniversary of The American Scholar (published by
Phi Beta Kappa), in that magazine's Winter 2007 issue, p. 33:
Will there be a 100th
anniversary? All indications from the publishing industry suggest
that content is declining, paper is vanishing, and erudite sexless
commentary is especially suicidal. Sound bites are shrinking,
attention spans narrowing, and public language is degraded 24/7, from
the vapid ad slogan to the lying speech to the vowelless text
message. The ultimate paradox of our instantaneous, borderless
world may be that we have achieved a perfect system of communication
only to discover that we have nothing to say.
Supply here wailing, gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, and
clanging of the bells of the Church of the Trope of Decline. If
only people would supply evidence; I truly doubt that ad slogans were
less vapid or lying speech less prevalent fifty or a hundred years
ago. Vowelless (or vowel-scanty) text messages I'll grant -- but
is this actually a degradation?
In any case, we here at Language Log Plaza are committed to continuing
our erudite sexless commentary. And some other stuff too.
Call us suicidal.
Posted by Arnold Zwicky at January 23, 2007 08:24 PM