Errors: Communication and its Discontents

Errors are examples of behavior which deviate from a perceived norm. They may be prompted by misjudgements or ignorance of norms, and perceived as more or less ‘serious’. In a relatively stable society, or one that aspires to be so, norms have a gatekeeping function, and errors need to be ‘corrected’ as a consequence. This extends to all aspects of human endeavour (errare humanum est), and particularly to human communication systems in which errors are traditionally labeled as cultural, pragmatic or linguistic, and where a prescriptive approach to language teaching (whether it calls itself ‘communicative’ or not) implies investing considerable resources in error correction. In keeping with the rationale of the series, this volume intends to look at the notion of error with particular reference to communication in the 21st century. The global economy, the migratory flows which fuel it, and the new methods of real time communication which support it, have all contributed to real change in language use. This is particularly true for English, the world’s lingua franca, most speakers of which are non native, whose numbers now exceed 2 billion (Crystal 2003), and who are likely to influence the future development of the language. The speed of change may lead to a sense of bewilderment for people professionally involved with language, such as teachers and translators, and a concern about shifting or declining standards, accelerated by the growth of real time communication through texting and social media, uncomfortably poised as it is between spoken and written channels. This phenomenon has prompted a range of best selling publications advocating the observance of established (native speaker) norms of spelling, punctuation, etc. Conversely, the growth of intercultural, international communication (not necessarily in English) can also empower non native speakers and writers with a sense of opportunity and the chance to experiment and to find a voice in a language which is not the mother tongue, implying the adoption of new norms (of lexis, syntax, etc.) This volume however is not confined just to a consideration of opposing views on language change. Rather, it is intended to offer a range of perspectives on language-related errors – social, cultural, psychological, linguistic – which, because of their diversity of approach can together shed useful light on what happens when human beings attempt to communicate with another, and why communication sometimes breaks down – perhaps more often than we realize.