today's generation of teens from back then is the type of dialect we use. In the 1930’s they used old English to communicate with one another, back then people would use words and phrases that would be considered absurd if said in the modern age. For example, a common phrase was “as thou list”, which translates to any way you like (Lexiconic). That is contrasting to today’s world where kids will use slang words such as “lit”. In that time period people would use little words to say so much, it was very much poetic and had a lot more emotion put into it rather than today where people will use abbreviations. Today people have trouble communicating outside of their social media accounts. Shakespeare’s language was also much more advanced. Since then, our dialect has been becoming increasingly poor.
One of the most distinguishable differences between the generation Romeo and Juliet lived in, as compared to ours, is modern technology. In their times, when two or more people were in a feud, a fight takes place. They would fight with swords until someone died. Whereas today, usually all people do is call each other out on Twitter, usually dishing out massive roasts until someone gets so embarrassed they don’t show up to school the next day. That is typically the extent of our conflicts. Also, modern technology has revolutionized the way teens communicate. Romeo and Juliet were in an unfortunate era, and whenever they wanted to talk they had to sneak out of their own houses, climb into the other's window, and then talk. However, Snapchat is a wonderful thing and does all those steps for us, so we can talk to one another from the comfort of our own houses. “They are the most web-savvy, app-friendly generation. And no, millennials, we're not talking about you, but instead what you could call social media's new class. Welcome, Generation Z (also nicknamed "iGen"), the generation born in 1996 or later, who have been shaped by and are in turn shaping technology and social media in very different ways from the Facebook-reared cohort just above them,” (CBS News). Obviously, if generations have changed this much just in our parents’ lifetimes, you can only imagine the differences that come with 500-700 years of age.
In conclusion, though it would seem fair to consider two teenage generations one of the same, it is not the case here.
Teenagers have evolved massively over time and should definitely not be compared similarly in any situation. The contrasts are mounting, and from an outsider’s point of view, should be blatantly obvious. Romeo and Juliet talked much more proper and reserved, and had no technology of any sort. When high school students try to read the dialect of Romeo and Juliet it feels like decoding Russian military signals.I don’t think many know what it’s like decoding top-secret signals, but it isn’t fun.Anyone living today knows the effects technology has had on society today, not to mention how it’s changed our generation entirely. Our generation can hardly remember a time when technology didn’t exist. It’s become a part of our lifestyle, and isn’t going anywhere soon. “The evolution of technology has reached a point where pretty much anything is available at the touch of a button. Shopping, learning, working and entertainment can all be accessed from the comfort of our own homes, on a train or sat in a cafe,” (The Guardian). All in all, the teenage generations are not similar in any
way. Works Cited
Mastroiann, Brian. "How Generation Z is changing the tech world." CBS News, 10 Mar. 2016, www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-fuels-a-change-in-generations-with-the-rise-of-gen-z/. Accessed 11 May 2017.
McCallum, Charles. "Common Words & Phrases in Shakespeare's World." Lexiconic, 2 Apr. 2014, learn.lexiconic.net/shakewords.htm#back. Accessed 11 May 2017.
Zollinger, Paul. "How technology and inactive lifestyles are changing our children." The Guardian, 30 Aug. 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/technology-inactive-lifestyle-changing-children. Accessed 11 May 2017.