E-Mail English a Threat 2 Literacy?
September 10, 2000 - 0:0
LONDON Children's enthusiasm for writing in E-mail shorthand is wrecking their grammar and threatening to consign the handwritten letter to history, the Times reported Saturday.
Citing a recent study, the report said the young are developing a lexicon for electronic communication with a range of abbreviations and symbols that adults find hard to understand.
Although educators and politicians were once most concerned about sloppy pronunciation, it now seems that "E-mail English" poses a greater threat to the language.
For example, the symbol :-( represents a sad face and is used to signify sympathy, disappointment or bad news. The symbols have evolved to keep down the cost of mobile phone text-messaging and E-mailing, speed up the response time and inject emotion into concise missives.
Teachers say that the new shorthand style associated with E-mails is making their job of improving literacy skills even harder.
Researchers from the McCann-Erikson Advertising Agency, who interviewed more than 100 children aged 5-11, concluded that traditional letter-writing will be of no more use later in life than the history lessons pupils learn.
Robin Lauffer, who led the research, said that the symbols used in text messages represented new ways of expressing emotions.
"We are witnessing a communications revolution which children have adapted to very quickly. Our language is changing in front of our eyes." More than half a billion text messages are sent by mobile phone every month. The growing trend coincides with concern over standards in formal writing. Just 54 percent of 11-year-olds achieved the expected level in writing in last year's tests, compared with 78 percent in reading.
Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the Nasuwt Teachers' Union, said: "Replacing sentences with jargon will damage the language." Samples of the new E-mail shorthand cited by the Times: d u wnt 2 go out 2nite?: Do you want to go out tonight? lol: laughing out loud oic: oh, I see tah: take a hint btdt: been there, done that mte: my thoughts exactly brb: I'll be right back cya: see you cu 2morrow: I'll see you tomorrow gr8: great tanx 4 ur elp: thank you for your help (DPA)
Citing a recent study, the report said the young are developing a lexicon for electronic communication with a range of abbreviations and symbols that adults find hard to understand.
Although educators and politicians were once most concerned about sloppy pronunciation, it now seems that "E-mail English" poses a greater threat to the language.
For example, the symbol :-( represents a sad face and is used to signify sympathy, disappointment or bad news. The symbols have evolved to keep down the cost of mobile phone text-messaging and E-mailing, speed up the response time and inject emotion into concise missives.
Teachers say that the new shorthand style associated with E-mails is making their job of improving literacy skills even harder.
Researchers from the McCann-Erikson Advertising Agency, who interviewed more than 100 children aged 5-11, concluded that traditional letter-writing will be of no more use later in life than the history lessons pupils learn.
Robin Lauffer, who led the research, said that the symbols used in text messages represented new ways of expressing emotions.
"We are witnessing a communications revolution which children have adapted to very quickly. Our language is changing in front of our eyes." More than half a billion text messages are sent by mobile phone every month. The growing trend coincides with concern over standards in formal writing. Just 54 percent of 11-year-olds achieved the expected level in writing in last year's tests, compared with 78 percent in reading.
Nigel de Gruchy, general secretary of the Nasuwt Teachers' Union, said: "Replacing sentences with jargon will damage the language." Samples of the new E-mail shorthand cited by the Times: d u wnt 2 go out 2nite?: Do you want to go out tonight? lol: laughing out loud oic: oh, I see tah: take a hint btdt: been there, done that mte: my thoughts exactly brb: I'll be right back cya: see you cu 2morrow: I'll see you tomorrow gr8: great tanx 4 ur elp: thank you for your help (DPA)