Thursday, August 3, 2006
OMG, Instant Messaging Doesn't Hurt Syntax! LOL!
Posted by Jon Westfall in "OFF-TOPIC" @ 04:00 AM
"With 80% of Canadian teenagers using instant messaging and adopting its unique linguistic shorthand, many teachers and parents are concerned about the medium’s potential to corrupt kids’ grammar. But instant messaging doesn’t deserve its bad reputation as a spoiler of syntax, suggests a new study from the University of Toronto. U of T linguists Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis studied over 70 Toronto teenagers and compared their use of language both in speech and while using instant messaging. They will present their research at the Linguistics Society of Canada and the United States Annual Meeting on August 2."
I've posted in the past about my concerns regarding youth and the ways in which they choose to express themselves in writing. This piece seems to provide comfort to those rearing teenagers or dealing with them, but I don't know if I'd go as far as to say they have an "Extremely lucid command" of the language! What do you think - are teens just using language in a different manner? Should we be concerned?
I've posted in the past about my concerns regarding youth and the ways in which they choose to express themselves in writing. This piece seems to provide comfort to those rearing teenagers or dealing with them, but I don't know if I'd go as far as to say they have an "Extremely lucid command" of the language! What do you think - are teens just using language in a different manner? Should we be concerned?
