and do you think it cheapins one's worth?

MRGee said:

I am constantly correcting my kids. I don't mind so much if they use it with their friends, but I do think it sounds less than intelligent in regular conversation. It is so informal and I am afraid they will slip in a job interview or with a teacher and say something that is disrepectful. Communication skills are so important.

rnljs said:

My public speaking instructor told one of the younger (18 yr. old) students that her "mall speak" was highly annoying and that she needed to change it so she wouldn't sound so stupid.

Ouch.

Only if it is spoken exclusively, presumably by the kids/young adults. If so, it is a failing of parents and schools, who admittedly are battling a swarming media culture that has made hip-hop a basic marketing commodity.

Wat I hate to hear is "like" after every 3 words and phrases that makes no common sense:
"I was thinkin like.....i dunno.....maybe we can like go hang out at your place?"

WTF is "I dunno" doin there? U DO know, so then wat de ass is "i dunno" suppose to mean there? and "like"...my gosh!
I can't have conversation with someone who speaks that way.
Freekin annoyin.
[Edited 2/28/09 18:26pm]

All slang doesn't come from rap. Do you have a visceral dislike for rap? It seems to come up a lot.

Language changes. Even the "barbarians at the gate" have to budge on the issues of splitting infinitives and other occurrences that signal to some purists the devolution of the language.

As for pop culture's impact on language, that's nothing new. I'd say, if anything, texting has sped up the changing of English more than rap culture, in a far quicker time frame.

Perhaps in some circles, but not for all of society.

Besides, language is a constantly evolving thing. It doesn't exist in a stasis. Even within my lifetime there have been HUGE shifts in standard English and how we use it. Using nouns as verbs comes to mind, i.e. googling.
[Edited 3/1/09 2:35am]

No, it hasn't.

MRGee said:

I think it's done damage to your English skills...

purplesweat said:

No. Bad grammar and spelling have.