'ROFL' : Roll On the Floor Laughing
'LMAO': Laughing My A** Off
'C U L8TR': See You Later
These are only some of the netspeak/textspeak used by teenagers all over the world today. Teenagers invented netspeak to not use so many key strokes to type messages on their desktops/laptops/mobilephone keypads. They have simplified English language into acronyms and abbreviations.
This is a video I came across which promotes textspeak (obviously since its an ad for a mobile plan).
Personally, I believe that netspeak/textspeak should not enter the classroom. The abbreviations and acronyms of the English language does not allow learners to fully utilise it in formal situations. For instance, learners will develop spelling problems if they only stick to the acronyms and abbreviations of words. There will be a fundamental problem of translating spoken language into written language. In order to comprehend written text, we have to make sense of what is written, restate it in our own words and be comfortable in paraphrasing it into spoken langauge. These are skills that every student should develop.
Only when students have gained the foundation skills of interpreting the language, should textspeak/netspeak be encouraged in a classroom setting. For instance, many university students use textspeak when taking down notes in a lecture as it saves time! However, it is understood that when necessary, these students are able to code switch back into formal English.
Chat/IM:
However, in today's world, due to the growth of the internet, we have to accept the importance technology has on the education system that were previously unavailable to students. In a classroom context, chats/IM contribute greatly to major learning areas. Chats can improve students’ thinking and literacy skills. One cannot dispute the wealth of knowledge chats/IM bring in distant education and rural communities. Students can work collaboratively with one another to discuss and edit their work. Schools are no longer confined to a small classroom within a building. Students now have access to experts in different fields and have the opportunities of collaboration with students from other parts of the world through the Internet, email and chat rooms. Sites such as mIRC (used for the ReadIn (www.readin.org) which invites authors to answer questions from students on a given date and time) and TappedIn (www.tappedin.sri.com), a chat room designed for educational professionals are just some of the many beneficial chat rooms available to teachers.
I came across this quote while doing some background research of this week's topics:
"email is increasingly seen (by teenagers) as a tool for communicating with “adults” such as teachers, institutions like schools, and as a way to convey lengthy and detailed information to large groups. Meanwhile, IM is used for everyday conversations with multiple friends that range from casual to more serious and private exchanges."
I agree with you on the text speak Rosh! I am not a fan and agree that the formal spelling should be proven as mastered before it can be used in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThought you might find this interesting; a few years ago at home a huge controversy in the media because high school students were allowed to use text speak in NZs final NZQA exams. I can see the pros and cons, seeing as students are rushed in exams, but I think this sends a bad message regarding the correct time and place for text language. Check it out; http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10409902
Thanks Liz! Read the article and I have to say that I do agree with the principals, if abbreviations were allowed in major exams, it is indeed making a joke out of teaching the grammar rule. Its indeed a controversial topic of debate! :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting post this week Rosh. Found an article last night stating that popular initialisms in Internet slang have been added to the Oxford Dictionary. Although it is important to recognise that the English language is constantly changing and abbreviations are useful for taking notes in class, I do agree that text speak/ net speak is not something that should be encouraged in the classroom particularly before students have developed their formal English skills. This issue is definitely open to debate.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris! :) I had a look at the 'LOL' link, and its rather interesting. I find it amusing to say the least that these abbreviations are now in the OXFORD dictionary. I guess it just goes to show how we as global citizens are moving towards a multi-dimensional world!
ReplyDeleteI think you're quite right to insist that language is contextually appropriate - in fact, that's the basis of the codeswitching approach now being adopted by many language teachers, as we discussed in class. Of course, it's not totally new: we've long used a similar approach with slang, indicating to students that it has its place, but also teaching them how, when and why to switch into and out of it, depending on context.
ReplyDeleteAs for the influence of txtspk on language development, the research is pretty conclusive: there is a positive correlation between txtspk skills and standard literacy skills. After all, as David Crystal pointed out in the video we watched, in order to leave letters out, you have to know they're there in the first place. Txtspk actually fits into a long, ludic tradition of language use, and it's certainly used by plenty of adults as well ...