Lol. Ttyl. Brb. I know you’ve all heard these quick and easy abbreviations for things like “laugh out loud”, “talk to you later”, and “be right back.” In fact, most of you probably use these abbreviations everyday. Whether you’re IMing your friends at your computer desk, text messaging on-the-go, or chatting with friends on facebook, Internet slang always finds its way into typed conversation. Most of the teen population today enjoys this brand new way of speaking because it gives them a way of speaking unlike any generation before them. Teenagers also enjoy the fact that it’s simpler, more phonetic, and more personal.
When asked how much more convenient texting language is over proper English, one student said, "It’s much more convenient, it’s more personal and less formal when you’re talking to a friend.” Another student said that proper English would be “much less convenient; it would take forever just to send a simple message.”
However, many adults have a very low opinion of this internet slang. Many adults across the country believe that it’s damaging children’s linguistic skills. According to NewScientist.com, Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis at the University of Toronto say, “Teenagers risk the disapproval of their elders if they use slang, and the scorn of their friends if they sound too buttoned-up.” According to an article on Dulcinea.com, a new study was taken that found that two-thirds of U.S. teenagers use Internet writing shortcuts, such as emoticons and informal abbreviations, in their written schoolwork.
At our school, for example, one ABF freshman, when asked if she had ever accidentally used shorthand in her essays and homework, said that she did this often, such as when she used “u instead of you.”
Another student in AMST said, “I've almost done it. I think it was a dialogue between two characters and they were arguing, so I almost included ‘OMG.’” Finally, a girl in AVPA said, “When I’m typing my homework I find myself writing ‘u’ instead of ‘you’ and ‘ur’ instead of ‘your.’”
However, of the twenty-six freshmen I interviewed, only six students admitted that they "almost" included shorthand in their schoolwork. Most of the students I interviewed were frequent texters and instant messengers, though few of them let it affect their writing. This shows that internet lingo has much less of an effect on children’s schoolwork than assumed. What many adults don’t realize is that texting slang isn’t just some way of “rebelling against society” or whatever adults think we teenagers do nowadays. It’s just a way of simplifying the art of conversation. What do inventors, scientists, computer programmers, and teenagers all have in common? They all want to make things simpler. So why aren’t adults irritated at all of the scientists?
To prove my point, I surveyed the freshmen class to find out what they thought of the convenience of texting lingo. The answers were overwhelmingly positive. A freshman in AMST said that proper English “could be inconvenient because it takes longer to type and it's easier to just type quick & short phrases.”
A theater student said, “I usually text when I'm in a hurry, and I don't have the time or energy to write grammatically correct sentences. Plus, on my phone there's a 160-character limit for texts, so sometimes I have to use texting lingo.”
Finally, a freshman said grammatical sentences “would be very inconvienent since it would take a long time and would cost more if you have to send more messages.” Not only is shorthand convenient and quick to type, but it also allows teenagers to express themselves by having a language only they understand. Shorthand helps inspire creativity in adolescents who often lack this trait: the creativity to create their own clever abbreviations and smileys.
It’s the 21st century, & as long as teens arent letting internet slang get in the way of schoolwork, teens should b allowed 2 write like this, and not be limited to proper grammar in their own personal conversations. ttyl!