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Successive languages have of course been recorded in written form for millennia and examples of this practise still exist where the language and thus the knowledge of how to write in it have long since died out. This is perhaps best evidenced by the Hieroglyphs of the Ancient Egyptians and how, despite so many examples of the text being in existence, it was largely indecipherable to us prior to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

So how may a civilisation lose its written language skills? There is of course the possibility that the civilisation itself dies out due to perhaps disease or natural disaster. There is equally the possibility that - as was the case with the Ancient Egyptians - a succession of wars and invasions changes the civilisation beyond recognition to an extent where much of its identity, including its language and writing skills in same, are lost forever. These events are largely beyond the control of the civilisation and the people who are part of it but the loss of written language skills within a civilisation need not have its cause rooted in such drastic circumstances.

I remember being absolutely horrified when I learned that young children were being taught phonetic spelling at school. This means that they are being taught to spell words as they say them and not how they should in fact be spelled. This is not only a horrendous perversion of the beautiful English language but it severely limits the education level of these children for the remainder of their lives. These children finish their schooling and go out in to the big wide world to perhaps write letters to customers from their place of employment only for them and their employers to discover that they are totally incapable of doing so. I recall on many occasions being appalled to read some of the letters prepared by junior members of staff in my former place of employment which they had intended sending to customers. Often, I had to completely rewrite the letter myself before sending it out.

I am aware of the existence of spell-checkers but while I agree that they are useful for picking up such as genuine typing errors, I do not for one moment agree that they are effective substitutes for a proper education in one's native language. Depending entirely upon a machine to perform one of our most basic life skills is a concept which actually frightens me and I think augurs very unfavourably for the future of our written language.

The advent of "text" speak and the way in which SMS messages are compiled is perhaps an even greater threat to the future of the written word. These abbreviations/diminutives are often so far removed from the word which they are supposed to represent as to be totally indecipherable to the reader. I abhor the use of such language and would never resort to using it under any circumstances. Worryingly, I have even noticed that it is now creeping in to everyday e-mail usage and I genuinely wonder how long it may be before certain creations start actually appearing in our dictionaries.

I would therefore suggest that yes, we are very rapidly losing our written language skills as a society and unless these practises are reversed at the earliest juncture, the older generations who are skilled in the written form of communication will all too soon be gone and their language and the ability to write in same may accordingly die with them.

Learn more about this author, Gordon Hamilton.
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