How the Hashtag is Ruining the English Language

Today in class we discussed the application of syntax and diction in modern writing.

Now, let's look at another recent phenomenon that is a form of syntax: the hashtag.

While your comprehension of the hashtag might be only understood in the context of Twitter, let me give you a little history of this symbol, originally known as the octothorpe.

World Wide Words reports that the octothorpe "was originally a jokey term among engineers at Bell Labs in the USA. In the early 1960s, the Labs were working on ways to interface telephones to computers and invented what is now called touch-tone dialing. This needed two additional special keys on handsets, both of which have since become standard. One of these is the * symbol, usually known as the asterisk, which Bell Labs decided to call the star key. The other was the # symbol" (Quinion).

The hastag has taken on a life of its own, thanks to the advent of Twitter and Facebook. While originally used as a tool for tagging tweets and providing a link to commonly discussed ideas, the hashtag has evolved into some sort of "paralanguage," a component of meta-communication that may modify or nuance meaning or convey emotion. In some ways, the hashtag has begun to replace original thought.

HOMEWORK: Read the following article by Sam Biddle on Gizmodo. His claim is that the hashtag is ruining the English language. After you read the article, compose a post on your own blog that answers the following questions:

1. Is the author's claim too biased, in that his argument loses validity because it is so opinionated, colloquial, and satirical?

2. Identify some rhetorical strategies that the author uses to accomplish his purpose. Identify what is being said, how it's being said, and the effect of this language.

3. Does the use of the hashtag throughout the article enhance or detract from the author's purpose?
4. Read some of the reader's comments. Are they in agreement with Biddle? Or do the comments bring up other points that could have been addressed in the article to present a more convincing argument?

Be sure to title your post "How the Hashtag is Ruining the English Language."