Guest Post by Emmet Ryan
OMFG electronic language is nothing to LOL about
There was a lot of hype about this report by Pew about the writing habits of teenagers a few months back. Terminology, acronyms and other abbreviations from the web are seeping into the offline writing of teenagers.
The concern for many is the possible impact this will have on the overall quality of writing, leading to fears that internet use was having a negative impact on the way young people communicate. Publications as worthy as the Guardian have express worry over the long term implications but the concerns overlook the much bigger point.
Young people are writing more as a result of the internet. Interacting more in a textual environment online has increased overall interest in writing according the study.
Furthermore the Pew report found that teenagers are aware that the medium is different to school work. The report found that 85 percent of young people aged between 12 and 17 engage in some form of electronic personal communication but that a solid 60 percent do not consider this to be writing as such.
In one respect it’s win-win for writing as more young people are caring about writing as a result of the internet and at the same time they are recognising a different in media.
There must however be a balance. Just because people like me don’t like terms like LOL or n00b, it does not mean authenticity can be sacrificed. Language evolves so on occasions where slang or even vulgar terms are appropriate writers, young and old, need to feel confident these words will be considered acceptable. This is particularly true for teenagers where much of their writing has academic connotations. Educators should not punish authenticity.
At the same we must be wary of such phraseology seeping into papers on Shakespeare and the like, unless the writer comes up with a great analogy to Gossip Girl that would justify its context. Those young people that are failing to differentiate between media must not be left behind and efforts must be made to ensure they are set on the right track to appreciate all means of communication.
The internet isn’t the bad guy. It is simply a medium. We the users decide how language evolves online and offline. The choice is ours.
Lets not forget that Shakespear invented a great many words. Depending on who you listen to he can claim credit for assasian amonst many others.
Posted by: Left Bower | July 21, 2008 at 09:35 AM
My favourite example of a term coined by Shakespeare is 'household words' due to its context. It's first used in Henry V during the Crispin's day speech when Henry says "familiar in their mouths as household words". When you think about it he's saying the subject, in this case the names of the English nobles, will be as familiar as a terms for which an apt phrase hadn't previously been coined.
Posted by: Emmet Ryan | July 21, 2008 at 06:35 PM