Digression

" I need to aks my mother"
"Ischool"
"I will does that"
These were a set of comments running on a social networking site. The point of mockery was "Bad English", and some how it got me thinking. It is not that I have never mocked at anyone, I've also had my share of laughing at others, but something got me thinking this time.
"What is actually the purpose of language?"
There are two sets of theories to deal with this question, one which says in the scheme of evolution language as a system was probably evolved to communicate to one another. The second one says language suddenly appeared due to mutation of genes and did not probably "evolve". This question remains unanswered till date. But there probably would be little dispute on the purpose of it. We wouldn't have problem admitting that the purpose of language very crudely is to make the other person understand what you think. Then probably as the syntax was set and we got comfortable with the basics we started using language as a tool of entertainment through literature. But the basic tenet still remains the same, though it is entertainment or intellectual stimulant or whatever one might to chose to call it, the act is done by the idea that is communicated. Only the language sans the idea would probably not do the trick, undoubtedly good language would aid the process but not vice-versa. Now coming back to where I started, then how did we end up in this state where we give so much importance to the syntax and forget the idea that is communicated.
It is also fascinating how language has ended up as a hegemonic device. Today we decide which social strata a person belongs to, raise questions on her/his background, her/his abilities all based on how good or bad his/her language is. The additional layer to this is that, the judgment is based on a foreign tongue. No I don't intend to traverse the path saying we should go back to our mother tongues, in a country like our's with so many languages or for that matter in today's world with the heightened inter continental interactions expecting something like that is foolish. The point I intend to make is if the purpose of language is to communicate and you are able to make sense if one says ischool, school or sckool then how does it really matter.
It would be ideal if everyone could speak "good English" but with the disparities we have, we should probably first aim at education everyone rather than bothering about if one speaks grammatically correct English or not.
Another wave of thought that I can't avoid is that it is the class bias in us which probably makes us laugh at the "non refined English speakers". I can't help but wonder, are we jealous somewhere deep inside and hence mock others for things as trivial as this.
It is also funny where language started and what things it serves now!