Lauren Wilson | May 15, 2008
DA lingo ppl use 2 txt n msg is not n fact bad 4 da lngwij skiLz of 2dayz teens. Quite the opposite, say two Canadian linguists who argue the language teenagers use to instant message one another represents "an expansive new linguistic renaissance."
The findings, to be published in the Spring 2008 issue of American Speech, suggest that, far from being detrimental to a teenager's language skills, these new forms of speech allow today's youth to showcase what they can do with language.Sali Tagliamonte and Derek Denis from the University of Toronto have analysed more than a million words used in IM communications.
The linguists argue that technological advances including instant messaging and text messaging allow teenagers to use a "robust mix" of colloquial and formal language.
Australian children's language expert and author of Kidspeak June Factor urged the less text-savvy to stop looking at the lingo of messaging in a simple and pejorative manner.
"It is always counter-productive to pour scorn, abuse and contempt on a language particular to a subgroup," Dr Factor said.
Rather, she said, it would be beneficial for teachers to examine IM communications in the classroom and compare and contrast it to other language forms.
"The dilemma arises when kids see it as a whole language system and are using it to replace the more complex and nuanced forms of writing," she said.
When used in context, the increasingly fashionable lingo was a legitimate form of abbreviated language. FYI.