In my view this is because we mistake the means for the message. A cursory look at a random selection of websites will illustrate the point. The authors are dazzled by the possibilities of graphics that blink and wink and bounce at the viewer and sounds that loop so that they can't be stifled. And all too frequently the whole caboodle takes so long to load that the reader gives up and moves on. Despite the richness of the facilities at our disposal, the essentials of effective communication remain the same: the sender must formulate a clear message and the receiver must be able to interpret it in the way the sender intended. This holds true for the spoken word, written messages and electronically generated communications.
On the surface, spoken messages are the simplest to deliver. In reality they often hedged about by inhibitions, social conventions, power games - elements that lend themselves to a host of metalinguistic features and indirectness of expression that can mean the true message is different from the meaning of the words used. Take the means of expressing agreement, for example. If we simply say 'yes', we appear to be concurring. Yet 'yes' may be a simple ploy for moving the topic along. It is socially hard to disagree, particularly in relationships with an unequal balance of power. Yet true agreement will be indicated by asking questions, seeking clarification and expansion, perhaps offering to participate in some way. See http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Square/362... for other aspects of indirectness in spoken communication. In written communication consideration of accuracy and style is essential if the message is to be unambiguous and achieve the desired result. I do not belong to the 'language mavens' school of accuracy; language is organic and develops to reflect our changing needs. However, writers do need to understand its mechanics if they wish to construct a sentence that works. Just as changes in car manufacture have occurred by leaps and bounds, so changes in accepted linguistic usage have moved with the times. However, in both cars and language, separate components need to be put together coherently for the finished product to work. The most common problems for writers are verbosity, leaving participles
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