During the Age of AI, Are the Language Arts Important?

  

Mariah Loves Earth. Expressing Yourself. 2023

Recently, I have been contemplating the role of Language Arts during the age of AI. Earlier this month I picked up my Grandpa's grade twelve Language Arts textbook titled Expressing Yourself. It led me to contemplate how language and communications has shifted over time. When my Grandpa was a teenager, in the 1940s, reading was not optional. Media took the form of basic black and white TV, the radio, newspapers, or innumerable books. This was before the age of aliteracy. We live during a time when people have the ability to read, but they choose not to do so. Who can blame people with the numerous distractions they have? We live in a world of hustle culture, video games, and social media. The 21st century is the first time in history that people can express themselves or their ideas in writing without dictating them first to a scribe. If the ability to write is not practiced it may become a lost art form. 

It is likely that you have heard whispers from friends about coworkers illicitly utilizing AI in the office, university students with plagiarized essays written by AI, and that people are tasking AI with drafting, difficult, personal communications. I will be the first to admit that I have enjoyed some of the perks of this AI age. I have enjoyed using AI to compare and contrast my favourite authors, write a book review*, and to edit my own wedding vows. Clearly, there are many places where the use of AI can add benefit in terms of efficiency and clarity. Regardless of the benefits, I staunchly believe that developing one's English** language abilities is significant for one's development. As a result, I can confirm that all writing that I share on this blog will be written, and edited, solely by yours truly. 

I believe that if Language Arts were not a required subject in schools students should still choose to elect it. This may be a strange statement to make, but I believe that with the push for an AI future youth no longer will see the necessity of English as a skill. I would recommend that all students elect to take English so that they can learn to express their thoughts clearly and to widen their worldview through reading. If one is not well educated in English it is likely that they will have difficulty finding the correct words to express themselves both orally and in writing. There is also a risk of misunderstanding others when one has difficulty comprehending them. A thorough grasp of the English language can make life more vivid and more accessible. 

As a simplistic example, children will frequently feel frustrated with their lack of vocabulary. A child may feel pain, disappointment, or sadness, but depending upon their point of development they may not know why they feel that way or how to say it. In my own life, I recall being in elementary school and being scolded by my parents because I told them I did something on purpose. When I was speaking with my parents I was confused between the phrases by accident and on purpose. My error in speech had unintended consequences which would have been avoided with a better grasp of English. Even though this error was expressed externally it also portrayed my inability to arrange my thoughts effectively through lack of language. The inability to find the correct word to express oneself does not stop at childhood.

In a professional setting, it is integral to use proper English whether that is through office chitchat, email correspondence, or when speaking with one's boss. If one chooses to use a complicated sounding word in the incorrect context this can make others think that the individual is less intelligent than they may be. Regardless of the industry that an individual works in, they can benefit from having superior linguistic abilities. Effective communication can ensure that work orders are followed correctly and that concepts are well illustrated. A vision is best conveyed when it is fully illuminated through writing. Even in careers that do not require much writing, a good grasp of English can allow an individual to better understand those around them. For instance, with an in-depth understanding of language you may be able to better understand why people phrase speech in certain ways, how people manipulate language for their own benefit, be able to gauge other's language abilities, and how to better phrase sentences to convey a message to a specific audience. Miscommunication errors can be avoided with a strong language ability.

English is not only effective for expressing oneself, it is also effective for better understanding the world around you. Reading can open the mind to lifestyles that one has never thought of before. It can also create empathy for those enduring situations different from one’s own. Reading literature that has well developed characters, setting, and speech can help expand one's own imagination. Whenever one engages a well-written book they are unconsciously developing their own writing abilities. The brain is always absorbing information whether that is a plot or the author's grammar. Reading expands an individual's perception and definition of reality.

Language Arts are effective for clarity of thought, verbal and written communications, self-expression, reflection, and imagination. I do hope that my writing has inspired some readers to reflect upon their own Language Arts abilities. Language is a skill that is used for a lifetime. Even if you find reading or writing a challenge at this point you still have the chance to better improve your abilities. Language is the building blocks of history, culture, and the very basis of what makes us unique as humans.

* For context, it was an ironic book review for Jean Baudelaire's Simulacra and Simulations which discusses concepts of reproduction and reality. I also made sure to cite the AI and include the prompt used to create the review. 

** When I refer to English I mean to say any language which is one's primary language.