OMG, Instant Messaging Doesn't Hurt Syntax! LOL!

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/060731-2474.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/060731-2474.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>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>"<br /><br />Jon Westfall has <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=411822">started an intriguging discussion</a> over at Pocket PC Thoughts on the finds of this article. Are teens just using language in a different manner? Should we be concerned? Tell us what you think!

[SteveHoward999]

Kids always try to communicate in a different manner from their parents, or dress different, or do different thinghs. Anybody ever watch "Happy Days"? It's a pretty good indicator of how kids and their parents did just about everything differently in the 50s/60s or whenever it was supposed to be.

Every generation complains about how kids are different these days, how they are irresponsible, lazy, rude etc etc. Somehow society still manages to muddle along, in spite of all the teenage rebellion.

[kerrins]

I know when I was a teen we had different words we used and if text messaging had been available we clearly would have used that with incorrect syntax if we could have. I know we used the word "flow" to mean money (cash flow). A "speed wrench" was a hammer, because if we couldn't fix our bike we could beat it with the hammer :wink:

[Rocco Augusto]

im on the fence on this subject but i mostly side with, "kids will be kids"

[Kris Kumar]

My wife works with kids; recently she taught me that "It's the junk" means "It is cool." :roll: :?

Thanks to my recent purchase involving the Lego Mindstorms NXT robotics kit, I am hanging around forums where the average age is half of mine, I can't even begin to tell you how hard it is to follow the conversations in those forums.

[SteveHoward999]

My wife works with kids; recently she taught me that "It's the junk" means "It is cool." :roll: :?



So? HOw long has "It's bad" meant "It's really good"?

How soon we forget!

[Kris Kumar]

So? HOw long has "It's bad" meant "It's really good"?

How soon we forget!

I can remember it from the MJ song. :lol: I grew up on British English and I do remember having slangs - mostly made up words but I don't think we used words that had totally opposite meaning unless of course some one was using it in a sarcastic context.

Landing up in America learning that Petrol = Gas, Bill = Check, Toilet/Loo = Restroom/Washroom, Ground Floor = First Floor and of course Favourite = Favorite, Colour = Color etc, was quite a learning experience. I still mess things up. :-) But the instant messaging language is just way too confusing, the person who wrote the text may have saved time on the keystrokes but I spend minutes trying to figure out the acronym.

I guess I should have the "whatever" attitude. :-)

[Jerry Raia]

I wouldn't get too concerned, looks like it is just a Canadian problem. :lol:

&lt;runs>

[Mike Temporale]

I wouldn't get too concerned, looks like it is just a Canadian problem. :lol:

&lt;runs>

:twak:

[bshpmark]

I gt no prob wit it u no bro. It savs msg spc ok.

Seriously, as long as both the sender and recipient know what is being said, that is what communication is about. Given that most text messages are limited in the number of characters that can be sent, using abbreviations and slang helps.

On our in-car police computers we have the ability to chat car-to-car and we do the same thing like: "ur 20" for "What is your location now?" or "u 33 yet" for "Have you taken your meal break yet?" or "25 at Targ" for "Meet me in the Target parking lot." or "wat a 96" for "That last person I met with was a mental case."

So we have our own slang and terminology also.

[bshpmark]

Oh, one other thing, the young peoples' grammar was corrupted long before instant messaging and text messaging came along. When rap music hit the charts that was all it took. I meet very few young people on the streets who know the first thing about grammar. Try asking a high school age person to write out a witness statement!! Talk about wondering how these kids even graduate! They can't even write in complete sentences.

[SteveHoward999]

I moved to the US 2 years ago, having spent the first 38 years of my life in Britain, so I know what you mean about the language difficulties. I don't care about the spelling so much as the different words for thousands of things. A trip to a hardware store is hell for me.


But the instant messaging language is just way too confusing, the person who wrote the text may have saved time on the keystrokes but I spend minutes trying to figure out the acronym.

I guess I should have the "whatever" attitude. :-)


As for the time-saving v's illegibility - that is the single biggest reason why it is rude to use such abbreviations unless they are accepted normal language. Turn up at a professional forum and type gobbledegook and don't be surprised if you get no response. Many forums are full of people who's command of English is imperfect, and for who English is a second or third language. It's hard enough for native English speakers to translate the abbreviations, it must be awful for non-native speakers for whom many of the idiomatic spellings are meaningless ( R U mtg JZ fdy?)

:-)