Is Texting, Tweeting Lingo Creeping into Schoolwork?

Editor's note: Letters from students on the balance between texting language and proper grammar. 

Teachers say the informal language of texting is showing up more and more in the classroom. Common concerns that educators have are; lack of proper capitalization, numbers replacing letters, misspellings, and “u” often substitutes for “you.” Students must find a better balance between texting language and proper grammar. And they rationalize that it’s okay to use their informal written communication because so many of their teachers never required them to use proper grammar on assignments and in the classroom. There’s a line of thought that English should be a living language. That goes only so far. While new words might constantly evolve, the rules for proper grammar and use of words should remain relatively constant. — #1 (Sarah, sophomore)

Today wasn’t like a typical day in my Sociology class. My teacher talked to us about becoming successful and the key to life. She said that there are three components to success: the ability to communicate verbally, the ability to communicate through the written word, and to make sure you have a specialized skill. These three components really made me think about my future and how I plan to conquer it. I know that technology has greatly impacted our lives. Some ways have been good and others have been bad. When it comes to language intertwined with technology it’s like stepping into a whole different world. You can now abbreviate words, spell them incorrectly on purpose, and use spell-check. Personally, I do not use incorrect grammar. Although some people do which I believe can affect their overall literacy skills. Because what you see and do becomes a natural habit. However, a person can most definitely choose the way they want to write. I think that colleges and businesses judge you by your communication skills which are why they are so crucial to obtain. So, become a critical thinker, strong writer, and effective communicator. Like my teacher said, this is the key to success. — #2 (Anna, sophomore)

I am currently sixteen years old and a sophomore at Dutch Fork High School. I would not necessarily say that grammar is my forte; however, this is not because of technology and social media. Compared to most of today’s youth, my use of social media is minimal. I do not have a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. However, I do have a phone that I use to text with. I do not believe it is fair to blame the Internet and technology for our society’s problems in grammar and writing. Based on the education that I have received, I have seen that grammar is not enforced as much as it should be. I understand that social media can have a negative impact on our English skills; however, this has not hampered my grades in any way. I know the difference between writing an essay and texting my friends. Hopefully my ability to distinguish between the two will help me in my future search for colleges and a career. — #3 (Talia, senior)

Generation Y is a unique one. Many of our parents grew up playing cards or hopscotch. My generation differs greatly. My generation grew up with Internet, colored TV, smart phones, IPods, and all sorts of other gadgets. Email and text messages have seem to become our primary source of communication between each other, and this greatly affects our writing skills negatively. Countless times I’ve written essays forgetting to use apostrophes or using short-hand. The thing is, it came so naturally that I overlooked it. We are constantly glued to our phone because our society revolves around time. We are fixated on speed and efficiency and it’s all about convenience now and many people won’t do things unless it’s necessary which is why we are often carless with our grammar. With short-hand, someone might write “cldnt” versus “couldn’t” but the reader could still infer what the writer was saying, and the writer used fewer letters so this was faster and efficient. While this short-hand writing is more convenient, it is not necessarily good. We forget our basic grammar rules which mean we often err in school or the workplace which reflects poorly on us. Forgetting our basic grammar rules leaves us at a disadvantage especially to others who excel in grammar and writing skills. It also makes us look lazy and careless. While technology paves the way for innovation, our newly adapted short-hand language does not assist us in our schooling or workplace. — #4 (Haley, sophomore)

I’m a sophomore at Dutch Fork High School so I’ve really just begun my high school journey. Today my teacher gave me a grammar quiz to see how well we’d do. Personally, I did really well, but I think other struggled. My use of technology has enhanced my spelling, but I think my grammar has been downgraded. Autocorrect on my iphone has helped me know for sure how to spell certain words. Also I partly blame the schools for grammar issues because in English class grammar is not particularly covered. My ability to write will help me in the future with applying to colleges. Later in the future technology is going to completely overcome writing. I still think writing and having correct grammar will still be useful. Grammar is the backbone of writing, if you don’t have good grammar, you’re writing won’t be effective. — #5 (Johanna, sophomore)

Being a sophomore at Dutch Fork High School I have come to realize that grammar is an important factor in my future. It’s important not only in my ability to write, but in my ability to speak to other peers and adults. For my future plans I have decided to become an English teacher in a bilingual school in a Spanish speaking country. Technology has not abused my use of grammar, but is helping it in a tremendous way. My days usually consist of refreshing Twitter, Instagram, and text messaging my friends. I find myself criticizing others on their grammar use of words all the time. Being on these social network sites has taught me to not only examine my grammar but also my peers’ use of grammar. — #6 (Forrest, senior)

As a teenager I have noticed even over the past couple of years how much communication has changed. It has gone from face to face to screen to screen. I have been able to adjust to the change because I grew up in the era. Personally, I think human to human contact is best. You can actually see and feel that person’s emotion through their words. I use technology every day, from home to the classroom and everywhere else. My first phone only came with a camera and now my phone is a miniature computer in the palm of my hands. I am fascinated by how fast technology is changing. And I will continue to use it. The pen and pencil have become more and more irrelevant. — #7 (Jennifer, sophomore)

 

I have heard about Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Also these new social networks lead to a result of grammar and spelling issues. I know that I have a huge problem with my grammar. I use Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And I don’t have the best grammar in the world. I have trouble with (your, you’re) because in my phone it corrects it to something else. My ability to write is horrible as you can see. This will impact my future because when I need to write to people it will be hard to understand. All because when I grew up, teachers didn’t force us to learn and take in consideration that grammar will be vitally important. — #8 (Peyton, freshman)

Being a teenager in high school I truly believe that people don’t judge me by the way I write. As teenagers my peers really don’t pay attention to our grammar or misspelled words. By texting we have verbally and physically changed the way we write. Technology has really helped us change in a wrong way. My use of technology really doesn’t change the way I write but it does for many people. Twitter, Facebook, and texting cause us to say things like LOL, BRB, etc. This cannot cause us to be judged in my opinion, but in the “real-world” we do need to be judged by grammar, and misspelled words. The ability to be able to write is import but as teenagers we don’t care about grammar and misspelled words, etc. Grammar is important and so is the way we write. I think some people judge you and some people don’t. — #9 (Madison, junior)

The world around us is affected by grammar and technology day by day. Technology can yet enhance people’s grammar and also hinder it. I use technology every day. I do not see technology hindering my ability with grammar, but I can see how it hinders others. Technology can hinder a person’s grammar by causing them to constantly rely on spell-check. Phones today have the capability to correct an error of a misspelled word. When I’m unsure of the spelling of a word I sometimes too rely on spell-check. Another way technology can hinder someone’s ability is a lack of perfecting social skills. It can cause a person to communicate solely through technology rather than in person. I also think technology can enhance a person’s social and grammar skills by increasing the range of who they are able to communicate with. Such as Facebook it allows you to chat with people from all over the world. Technology has its advantages and disadvantages. I don’t think that our grammar skills aren’t where they should be. I say that because most people still have trouble spelling. My use of technology shouldn’t have too much of an impact on me because I don’t use it very often, only when I have to. I think my ability to write may keep me from getting the job of my dreams and I don’t want that to happen. — #10 (Leah, junior)