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."

As most of my friends already know, I am obsessed with National Geographic. Ever since I saw the now-iconic photo of the "Afghan Girl", I've been hooked. If someone asks me what my dream job is, I will always say "being a photojournalist for NatGeo." Since my magazine subscription is sent to my parents' house, I'm often found searching nationalgeographic.com for interesting articles or pictures to feed my obsession.

Last week, while surfing the website, I stumbled across an article titled "Disappearing Languages: Enduring Voices- Documenting the World's Endangered Languages." In many of my writing classes, as well as my French classes, my professors always teach me how important language is. In reality, language is essential in all aspects of life. It's not only how we communicate with each other, but it is a symbol of our heritage; language is a key element to our culture. In many ways, language defines us as a people.

Knowing this, I was surprised to learn in this article that throughout the world, a language dies every 14 days. What's even more shocking is that it is estimated that more than half of the world's 7,000 languages are expected to disappear by the year 2100.

Often times, words or phrases in a certain languages cannot be properly translated into other languages. Also, some cultures rely solely on oral communication; customs, traditions, history, and overall knowledge are only passed from generation to generation in oral form. With no written form, when languages become extinct, an entire culture may be lost.

In an interview with K. David Harrison on The Economist website, the reporter asks Harrison what we lose when we lose a language. He answers with a quote from his 2007 book "When Languages Die": "When we lose a language, we lose centuries of human thinking about time, seasons, sea creatures, reindeer, edible flowers, mathematics, landscapes, myths, music, the unknown and the everyday."

Language allows freedom, creativity and individuality. Each language has it's own unique aspects. For me, language is a way to express myself. The meaning and the placement of words help me to relate my thoughts and feelings to others in my own way. I believe that language brings people together.

Harrison goes on to make an interesting analogy. He says, "We would be outraged if Notre Dame Cathedral or the Great Pyramid of Giza were demolished to make way for modern buildings. We should be similarly appalled when languages—monuments to human genius far more ancient and complex than anything we have built with our hands—erode."

Why are we only willing fight for the history that is tangible? Language is the basic element of every culture. Not to sound cheesy, but "variety is the spice of life." Diversity is what keeps the world interesting. If everyone everywhere spoke the same language, life would be pretty lame. Although we may not be able to physically touch a language, that doesn't mean that it's not worth fighting for. Language is a part of a person's identity. Sadly, at this rate, many people and their cultures are bound to be lost forever.

As a sophomore Professional Writing major, I frequently find myself wondering about life after college. I know I haven't exactly chosen the most stable career path, and some say being a writer isn't "practical", but doing what I love is more important to me than financial security and social acceptance.

That being said, I recently read an article by Neil Genslinger, a staff editor for the New York Times. Titled "The Problem With Memoirs," the article addresses the ridiculous amount of "nobodies" who believe their lives are worth writing an entire book.

As a writer, it concerns me that people, who are far from qualified, are capable of getting a book published. Why am I going to school to learn about writing, when any random person off the street can write a book, get published, and actually sell their stories?

Luckily, most readers know good writing when they see it. Those "nobodies" may be able to sell books based on fancy cover art, but the text is what really matters. I agree with Genslinger when he points out that "Memoirs have been disgorged by virtually everyone who has ever had cancer, been anorexic, battled depression, lost weight. By anyone who has ever taught an underprivileged child, adopted an underprivileged child or been an underprivileged child. By anyone who was raised in the '60s, '70s or '80s, not to mention the '50s, '40s or '30s. Owned a dog. Run a marathon. Found religion. Held a job." It's ridiculous the amount of people who live quite ordinary lives yet feel the need to write a book. No one wants to be bored to death.

Genslinger goes on to offer four pieces of advice for those thinking about writing a memoir. First, make sure your life is interesting. Again, no one wants to read about an average person with an average life. If there's nothing special about you, then don't write a book.

Second, don't write a memoir for the sole purpose of gaining pity or compassion. Most readers don't want to drown in your misery. Wanting attention and sympathy is not a good reason to write.

Third, don't be a follower. It's easy to make a cheap imitation, but it's more challenging and rewarding to be original. Readers appreciate creativity.

Finally, Genslinger suggests "making yourself the least important character" in your memoir. It's important to learn about your self and others through the writing process. Your story shouldn't be all about you.

People should really think about their motives before writing a memoir. The first question that you should ask yourself is: "If you were someone else, would you want to read about your life?". If the answer is "no", then it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't expect others to want to either.

I believe that writing involves skill and passion. It's not about becoming a best-seller or wanting people to know your name. Not everyone is cut out to be a write, and that's okay, but those that are truely committed to the art of writing should have a chance to showcase their talent.