Essay: The Moral Dimension of Grammar

The following is an essay I wrote last year for my English class. I apologize for posting so many old essays, instead of answering new questions, but NaNoWriMo is now taking up a lot of my time. Throughout the month of November I may not have time to do much more than this, but in December I hope to start back up again answering questions. If you have any you'd like me to answer, just post them in the comments!

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Texting lingo is threatening to take over the world. The world is becoming more and more fast-paced, and as a result, abbreviations are becoming more and more prevalent. Although abbreviations do allow for quicker communication, are they really necessary, and in such abundance? Are they even as beneficial as has been claimed? The answers to these questions lie in the very basis of grammar. Jane Austen explores the use and importance of grammar indirectly in her novel Pride and Prejudice. In this novel, whether or not her characters use correct grammar often speaks for their morality. Jane Austen was a talented author who was able to read people’s characters very well, so much so that if we look at people as she did, we can observe the same ideas about grammar in others as she did. Overall, speaking with correct grammar not only aids in clear communication, but it also affirms the existence of God in an increasingly nihilistic world.

Almost all of the characters’ uses of grammar in Pride and Prejudice speak for their morality, but some of the more prominent examples are of Lydia Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth Bennet. In Pride and Prejudice, Lydia constantly uses slang when she speaks. She also speaks in short, simple sentences for the most part. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth go through a much more complex development in their uses of grammar. For the first half of the book or so, Mr. Darcy barely speaks at all to Elizabeth. On the other hand, although

Elizabeth speaks to Mr. Darcy more than he speaks to her, she is witty and therefore unclear in her choice of words. Later on in the book, when Mr. Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth, he is very clear and outspoken in his address to her. In response, Elizabeth makes a point of telling Mr. Darcy exactly what she thinks of him. Once this is made known to Mr. Darcy, he leaves, but writes her a letter with an explanation of his actions up to that point.

The words and actions of Lydia, Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth all correlate with the idea that there is a moral dimension to grammar. After all, the definition of morality implies that there is a right and a wrong action, thought, or feeling. When compared with grammar, one sees that there is a right and a wrong use of grammar. Lydia uses grammar improperly throughout Pride and Prejudice, though perhaps not to the extent that it is misused today. The end of the story makes clear to the reader that Lydia has made bad choices, and continues to do so. This is not a direct result of her using improper grammar, but it does show that she subscribes to faulty morals. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth show what happens both when improper grammar is used, and what happens when proper grammar is used. When the two do not communicate well, they misunderstand each other and are tainted by pride and prejudice. When the two begin to communicate with each other more, they discover how wrong they each were and as a result grow closer together. Thus, when the characters do not speak clearly, there is definitely a correlation to their morals.

Morality does not just correlate with grammar in stories; it applies to real life, as well. In “The Real Reason Our Educational Elites Don’t Like Grammar,” by Martin Cothran, Cothran writes that grammar is based on the existence of right and wrong. Right and wrong implies that morality must exist, and therefore implies the existence of God. Cothran also talks about Nietzche and how he was opposed to the use of grammar. He says that Nietzche was not opposed to grammar itself, but being a nihilist, was opposed to what it was based on. Nietzche did not want to use correct grammar because he wanted to kill God. Thus, the obvious reaction to this for a Christian is to speak correctly.

Every time a person speaks clearly, he or she affirms the existence of order, and ergo of God. If modern teenagers continue to use texting lingo as they do, followers of Nietzche’s prophecy may believe they have won. But the introduction of cell phones to the world is not the end of God, and never shall be. God is not merely an idea—He is the creator of ideas, and must always exist for anything else to exist. No matter what man can say, he will always exist, and therefore God will always exist. Even if we cannot count on humanity to remain educated in the proper use of grammar, we can count on God to exist to maintain order.