The English language is struggling.

A lack of appreciation for the language we speak and depend upon is often nonexistent. Too often nowadays, many neglect reading good books and using proper grammar in favor of quick sound bytes or text talk.

The call to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is overtaking the world of education.

Respect and understanding of English, however, brings not only self-growth but societal growth as well. The importance of such qualities cannot be ignored.

The English language grants us the power to say what we feel and think. Literature gives us the ability to experience the perspectives of others and think critically about ourselves, our society and our world.

Through the English language, spoken or written, we hold the potential for self-betterment. Engaging in an alluring conversation or a gripping novel often leaves us with newfound knowledge or perspectives, ideas that can be found in few other ways.

With the decrease in popularity of such intellectual and recreational activities, like reading, writing creatively or researching interesting subjects, comes a narrowing of understanding and opportunity as individuals. By neglecting the option of reading for enjoyment or knowledge, we close the possibility of learning about the wide variety in the world. We deprive ourselves not only of culture and expansion but also of our ability to communicate well.

English Department Chair Jill Sprott said, “We can create these amazing mechanized societies where anything is possible, where we’re seeking cures for diseases that are affecting us immediately; but it’s the art that gives us meaning, that reminds us that we’re not just human animals, that we’re not just bodies and organisms, that we actually are souls. It’s art that we need to keep us human.”

The percent of humanities majors in the United States is now near seven percent, according to the Department of Education. By comparison, in 1970, 14 percent of college students majored in the humanities.

We give less and less value to English and the skills we gain from it.

“The message is: science is where the money is. It’s where the stability is; it’s where the prestige is. Somehow English becomes ‘you can teach if you want,’” Sprott said.

More and more, students are reluctant to enter fields that are English-based and instead opt for STEM fields because they have been called more financially rewarding.

However, despite the innovations and draw to technology, English too is capable of creating. Through works of fiction and precise language, we share stories, knowledge and ideas with each other that we can in no other manner. We can create imagination and knowledge.

Through English we foster empathy, understanding and critical thinking, useful in any profession, even in STEM.

“There’s more to English than just grammar. What English is about: it’s not about correct English. It’s actually about refining language and making language more meaningful and precise. Language is never really, truly precise. Since we can never say exactly what we want to say, the more limited our vocabularies are, the less we’re able to truly say what we mean,” Sprott said.

Studies show that the average vocabulary size has gone from 25,000 words in the 1940s to only 10,000 today. This shows a clear neglect of the English language in recent years and that we are truly able to say less than before.

Whether we believe it or not, elements of English are intrinsic in almost every discipline.

The key to reviving and restoring faith, appreciation and interest in English is not by forcing it upon the population: the key is to show its appeal and relevance.

Literature is not dead and words are not useless.

When we pity and downgrade the English major, we reveal our own ignorance. Those who find solace in the beauty of the subject are not studying to become solitary bibliophiles or lowly teachers, they are acquiring universally transferable skills.