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Text Messaging
Text Messaging and its Effects on Teens ' Grammar Background Information "IYO TXTng = Gd 4 or NME of GMR?" If you cannot understand the previous statement, then you most likely have not been exposed to the language of text messaging. Who are the creators of this language? The answer is today 's teenagers. The translation for the opening sentence is, "In your opinion, is texting good for or the enemy of grammar?" Text messaging has surely given our society a quick means through which to communicate, taking out the need for capitalization, punctuation, the use and knowledge of sentence structure and the detail that make good statements great. Some educators suggest that this new age form of messaging may be hindering today 's teens ' abilities to apply grammar correctly in their writing and social skills. Others, however, take pride in the notion that teenagers are essentially creating their own language of the twenty-first century and see no effect on their students ' writing skills. Edutopia, an educational website, conducted an online poll regarding this issue of text messaging vs. grammar. Out of 293 votes, 193 votes (47%) chose "Yes, I believe students are carrying over the writing habits they pick up through text messaging into school assignments." 98 votes (33%) chose "No. I believe students can write one way to their friends and another way in class. They can keep the two methods separate." 55 votes (19%) chose "Maybe. Although text messaging may have some impact on how students write, I don 't think it 's a significant problem." (Ring, 2009). Wat do u tnk? (What do you think?) The Sacramento News published an article in April of 2008 about a study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing regarding text messaging and its affect on teens ' schoolwork. The study concludes, "A national telephone poll of 700 youths ages 12 to 17 and
Updated April 16, 2009 The University of Alabama Computers and


Links: Lingo2word - Translates the lingo of text messages into plain English and vice versa Resources Hubert, C. (2008, April, 25). Teens ' texting symbols invade schoolwork :-(. The Sacromento Bee , Retrieved March 4, 2009: http://www.sacbee.com/education/v-print/story/889102.html Mah, P. (2009, January 21). Teen sends 14,528 text messages in a single month. Fierce Mobile IT , Retrieved March 28, 2009: http://www.fiercemobileit.com/story/teen-sends-14-528-text- messages-single-month/2009-01-21 Maples, R. (2009, March, 17). Texting effects on teenagers ' grammar . KHQA News , Retrieved March 28, 2009: http://www.connecttristates.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=274742 Nielsen. (2008, September 22). In U.S., SMS Text Messaging Tops Mobile Phone Calling. Retrieved April 1, 2009: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/in-us-text-messaging- tops-mobile-phone-calling/ Ring, S. (2009). Does text messaging harm students ' writing skills?. Retrieved March 3, 2009: http://www.edutopia.org/poll-text-messaging-writing-skills
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