As usual, I think that both sides have valid points to make. Howard argues that chatspeak is destroying English because young people are beginning to write like that so often that it is becoming more natural to them than standard English. As Howard wrote in her piece, "I am concerned whether students are learning
the skills to fully express themselves through writing
as they move toward adulthood."
However, Monfils argues that kids can chatspeak and easily switch between standard English and chatspeak. I can understand Howard's concern especially in the case of those students that struggle academically. Students that don't have a lot of academic support or skills may have a hard time discerning what is standard and what is not.
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I do (somewhat) recognize the concerns that many have in thinking that chat speak is a problem for standard written English, but what’s good does merely pointing out a problem do? Isn’t language something that always changes? Are mobile phones and Internet chat going to disappear? Not likely. So, how can perceived problems with chat speak addressed? Personally, I was an English major, yet I don’t think that the English Language is something that should be set in stone and never allowed to change. It HAS been chanting for centuries, and will continue to do so. Consider an English text written, say 600 years ago. Can you read it? I don’t think so! Human language changes over time, with many contributing factors. Chat Speak is probably going to be a major factor in the changing English Language of the 21st century!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting. I share your concern that students on the edge of making it might be pushed off the edge. I have to think there's damage being done, and if there's margin that's ok, but it could be the last straw.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Everett