When I read the writing of some of my peers, I'm appalled. It shocks me that college students don't know know the difference between "there, they're, and their" or "to, two, and too." Some refuse to use commas, while others disregard grammar completely. When it comes to writing, I have many pet peeves, and I admit that I am guilty of some writing mistakes, but I think it's important to follow some of the basic rules of writing.

Recently, the argument that the English language is declining has gained momentum. With books like Lynn Truss' "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and Robert Lane Greene's "You Are What You Speak," writers adress the problems of punctutation, slang, pronunciation, along with many other issues. But the question is: Is language truly dying or is it simply changing naturally with the times?

The way a person speaks or writes, in essence, defines who he or she is. Certain slang terms and dialects represent an individual's culture. Let's be honest, most people these days don't speak like Shakespeare, but that doesn't mean that people don't respect his work. Language can become an accurate reflection of a specific time in history.

In a post on the New York Time's website, Robert Lane Greene explains that Latin was once considered a crumbling language, but eventually transformed into French, Italian, and many other valued languages. Change isn't always bad.

Although we may not like how others are using language, since the late 1800s, illiteracy has decreased from one in five people to almost nonexistant. Almost all Americans have access to education. More people are reading and writing than ever before. Albeit, many people are simply reading facebook messages or writing texts. But who's to say that's wrong?

It's a fine line to straddle. There must be rules and regulations for every language, but there also must be room for change. The Oxford English Dictionary has been known to add upwards of 4,000 news words each year. It's hard to find a balance between maintaining originality and embracing new ideas. If you think about it, the same problem exists in every aspect of life.

Even while I'm writing this, I can't pick a side to this debate. I understand why people are upset, because frankly, I'm upset, but I also understand that change is inevitable. Without change, creativity would be impossible.

My friends and I are always coming up with new words or phrases. Somehow those words almost define our relationship. When I think about those words, it helps me remember certain memories that I've had with my friends. People outside of our friend group often how no idea what we're talking about, but that's what makes our friendship special or even "exclusive." It doesn't mean that we disregard the use of "proper English"; we just have fun making up words.

Greene's perspective on the topic is that "we may just be seeing more of language’s real-world diversity – dialect, nonstandard grammar and all – in written form, whereas 150 years ago those same people would never write. That’s something to celebrate, not to complain about."