Rmbr, im the TMOY. So r u. Y? Cause, among other things and reasons and such, we've invented a language. Cmg of age in the hi-tech world of IMing and TXTing, r lang is ubiquitous. Jst think about how mainstream our word "24/7" has become. I mean the President uses it. k, bad ex. K, how bout how we say "BTW" out loud even though "by the way" has many fewer syllables. (B t dubs, we took care of that)
Teachers are noticing r lang seeping in2 student classwrk in all grades. Kids used 2 wrtng txts and IMing r accidentally adding "b4" and "2" and "ur" to their essays in addn to the usual errors. LOL. Most teachers r like, wtf? y r they doing this?
"Some educators, like David Warlick, 54, of Raleigh, North Carolina, seehttp://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/02/09/chat.lingo.ap/index.html
the young burgeoning band of instant messengers as a phenomenon that should be
celebrated. Teachers should credit their students with inventing a new language
ideal for communicating in a high-tech world
Text language seeping into kids' essays."
thx, Mr. Warlick, for embrcng r new lang. The art. continues 2 say tht most students toss out the IM speak as they get older. Hey, if we know enough 2 make up a language, don't u think we know when it's appropriate and when it's not?
Perhaps, R new language has had the most profound fx on r relationships. w v-day this wk, inevitable human interest v-day themed stories flooded the newsrm about the many ways in which txting and IMing has changed the way we kids date, fall in love, and break up. Even, how we say "I Love You" (ILY, 143)
Btw, G'ma and G'pa, this may help you: http://www.netsmartz411.com/CAisd/pdmweb.exe
The way that HS kids communicate w their bfs and gfs has changed dramatically. Most kids have computers, most kids have cell phones w txt msgs. When I was in ms and hs, the comp was shared, the aol time was ltd and the cell phone was the thing I borrowed fm mom when i wnt out. Sometimes. And so, my relationships were ltd to a nghtly phone call and some IMing.
Today, kids can be in contact 24/7 w their bfs and gfs. They can carry out convos behind their parents backs, or even, in front of their faces. Ex:
BF: Sup
GF: nm, u?
BF: nm
GF: cool cool lol
BF: I luv it when we make out in the hallway.
GF: OMG, I know!
BF: P911 ttyl
GF: k
BF: K, thr gone.
See what I did there was warn my gf that my folks were coming and exed out my hot convo about makin out in the hall and waited till they went away. Cuz i'm clever lk tht and they'll never find out. NEway, kids these days luv the IMspeak.
FTMP, it's good, 2. w new tech, we lrnd how to com. efficiently and in r own way and we got real good at it. And we revolutionized communications and language. We r the IM/TXT gen. and we have constructed an entire social wrld 4 r selves. Of course, there r consequences, esp in hs.
A recent survey by Teenage Research Unlimited showed that 25% of teens communicated hourly with his/her bf/gf by cell or txt btwn the hrs of midnght and 5am. 1 in 3 of teens who had been in a relationship said their partner txted them 10, 20 or 30 times per hr. often to find out where he/she was.
Shaina Weisbrot, now a soph at Rutgers, used to be one such teen. The txting from her fmr bf got so abusive tht she stopped responding. we're tlking 20-30 txts per hr askg where she was, wht she was doing, who she was with, etc. and when she stopped responding, the bf threatened to kill her. And all of this happened w/o her parents knowing.
"The technology sets up the opportunity for constant stalking, for constant communication, for constant intimidation and threatening behavior, " says psychologist Dr. Jill Murray "So we're seeing an increase in teen dating abuse and I believe that this is a good part of it."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/parenting/02/09/dating.abuse/index.html
But it seems the same tech can be used to get out of abusive relationships, as well as all other relationships that have run their course. 11% of Americans think breaking up with a bf or gf via txt message or IM or email is ok.
After 1 or 2 dates, maybe. U could send out a quick "its not u, its me :( " or "we shld jst b friends. kit!" or the classic: "we shld c other ppl." Done, painless, no risk of shouting or seeing her cry or getting sucked back in2 a relationship ur not interested in.
But a long term relationship? Have the guts to do it f2f. This practice isn't confined to hs kids, btw. 25 yr old Jason Sherman of Independence, MO is a habitual IM breaker upper. (Hint: Girls, don't date this guy.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021201139.html?nav=hcmodule
We luv r new language, but there hafta b boundaries. An occasional 143 ;) is sweet. 20 per hr is stalkerish. Breaking up f2f is hard, but if ur saying "ILY", u can't txt "its over." And r new lang clrly has no place in good writing. Leave it in IM and Txts where it belongs. K?
TTYL!
1 comment:
Brilliantly written, but it gave me a headache to try to read that! :)
I HATE when people type r instead of are and u instead of you. It only takes a split second longer to type, at least for those of us growing up in the technology generation. (takes longer for some of the older folks who can only type with one finger, but they wouldn't know to type r or u anyway)
Languages change, and I think that's ok. It's the nature of the beast. But it doesn't mean that we should cheapen our language or force the change along. And it doesn't mean that we should dumb down a beautiful language. I think that words lose power this way- just compare how you would feel if someone wrote you a note that said i luv u... versus I love you.
In a world where fast-pace has become the only pace, we are in serious danger of losing our vocabularies and the ability to communicate with meaningful words for a sustained period of time. We are losing the capability to even have a sustained train of thought. "im lingo" only hastens and deepens this loss.
I'll stop being long-winded now and will go back to lol-ing on im.
Disclaimer: I personally use btw, j/k, and 24/7.
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