In the point-counterpoint article on chatspeak (the initialisms and misspellings commonly used in chat rooms and texting), Linda Howard (yes side) and Greg Monfils (no side) argued over whether chatspeak is "destroying the English language."After reading the article, I have to agree with Monfils. Although I abhor chatspeak and personally abstain from it, I do not believe it will necessarily destroy the English language, provided that students are taught proper spelling and grammar as well and when to use it. Howard asserts that children are not learning these skills, but does not say why she believes that: "I am concerned whether students are learning the skills to fully express themselves through writing as they move toward adulthood."I agree with her concerns, but I do not think that they are necessarily rooted in valid information. While some younger children may not understand how or when to use conventional English, by the time they get to high school, most can make the switch from chatspeak easily. The important thing is to make sure that schools continue to teach proper spelling and grammar, perhaps even more than they have in the recent past, so that students will have the skills that they need to survive in the professional world.
Another factor I would like to point out is that there is really nothing that can be done to prevent young people from using chatspeak in their private worlds, so it seems like a pointless thing to argue about. As Monfils points out, most young people will grow out of the desire to use chatspeak all the time as they get older, but may bring with them a few innovations that will change our language forever: "Yes, we’ve standardized grammar, spelling, and so on since Chaucer, but kids live to challenge standards. It doesn’t mean that they don’t know what the standards are. As in most things, they will drop their petty rebellions and attend to the standards in time. If we’re lucky, they’ll have provided a few sensible updates to the standards as they charmingly mature into adulthood." Language is constantly evolving. There are many words which used to be considered vile slang, that are now perfectly acceptable in civil conversation. For example, in Bram Stoker's Dracula (published in 1897), one character says that to call something "a bore" or boring is slang. Most people use that word now without batting an eyelash. We can and should work to preserve the core of the English language, while still accepting that changes are natural.
The only question I have after reading this article is whether there is any scientific evidence to support the idea that students are not learning proper English. Have test scores in writing seen a serious decline? If so, we may need to redouble our efforts to teach conventional English in the classroom. Still, there is nothing that we can do to prevent the use of chatspeak in the private communications of young people.
The only question I have after reading this article is whether there is any scientific evidence to support the idea that students are not learning proper English. Have test scores in writing seen a serious decline? If so, we may need to redouble our efforts to teach conventional English in the classroom. Still, there is nothing that we can do to prevent the use of chatspeak in the private communications of young people.
I agree that we need to be sure to teach proper grammar and such, which a lot of schools aren't doing because of technology!
ReplyDelete