Forget all the panic about emoji and doge-speak: Titus and his friends have really ruined language. On future Earth, the equivalent of a hyped-up Internet and social network have taken over how people relate to each other. In fact, most of the time people don't even speak aloud; they m-chat ("mental chat"), which functions like a sort of technologically-enabled telepathy, and—seriously—sounds awesome.
But, of course, there's a downside: it's totally ruined language. Most of the characters talk in a sort of slang-driven babble, using "thing" when they can't name an object and using terms that sound suspiciously like advertising. The King's English, this is not.
Questions About Language and Communication
- Do you see differences in the way Violet and Titus use slang?
- What's up with how Titus's dad speaks?
- Where do you see people of your own generation using language similar to Titus and his friends? Do you get flak from adults about it?
- Besides the obvious example of Marty and his Nike speech tattoo, where do we see Titus and his friends talking like advertisements?
Chew on This
Titus's use of metaphor suggests that he might be a bit smarter than the rest of his friends.
Titus's friends seem to recognize their own inability to use complex language. That's why Calista and Loga get so angry at Violet when she uses "incited" correctly in a sentence.