linguistic renaissance and teen words

 

children words are scary

children words are scary

 

“The more exposure you have to the written word the more literate you become and we tend to get better at things that we do for fun.”

Dr Beverley Plester,  Coventry University on texting

 

 

——–

Yes.

Teens use words <sometimes lots used in a nonstop fashion>.

 

 

Yes.

Sometimes we old folk don’t recognize them as words <albeit we are infamous for making up our own buzzwords>.

 

Yes.

If you get a bunch of older people together they will agree that today’s kids do not understand English, know how to write, are poor communicators and, in general, don’t know shit about grammar <well … at least as well as us old folk on all those criteria>.

 

Yes.

derangedI can tell you for sure that the reason why I don’t participate in Ted discussions on education anymore is because there tended to be a bunch of older people <supposedly the sharpest knives in the drawer because they were part of TED> that constantly bitch and moan about how young people are becoming increasing illiterate and in order to solve this crisis … the solution is we need to go back to the basics <that is code for “the way we learned”>.

 

 

Yes.

Us older folk need to be careful that we aren’t thinking we know it all or ‘what’s right’ when in fact … we may not.

 

No.

Today’s youth is not illiterate nor are they destroying the English language nor are they devolving into some nondescript group of blithering nonthinking irresponsible idiots.

 

Yes.

 

Maybe the problem is with us older folk.

 

Why?

 

Many people have this black-and-white view of language, that some things are always right and wrong, that’s not how it works.”

 Katherine Barber, editor in chief Canadian Oxford Dictionary

 

Well.

 

In 2010 … 72% of all teens ages 12-17 sent and received text messages and 88% of teens with cell phones texted.

In 2014 … well … think 98%.

 

Research says … text speak, rather than harming literacy, could have a positive effect on the way children interact with language.

 

Researchers from Coventry University <published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology> studied children aged between 10 and 12 to understand the impact of text messaging on their language skills.

They found that the use of so-called “textisms” could be having a positive impact on reading development.

 

 

Bottom line.

 

The study found no evidence of a detrimental effect of text speak on conventional spelling.writing keyboard fun

 

 

What we think of as misspellings, don’t really break the rules of language and children have a sophisticated understanding of the appropriate use of words.”

Coventry Researcher

 

 

Other reports have produced similar results.

 

Research from the University of Toronto <researching how teenagers use instant messaging> found that instant messaging had a positive effect on their command of language.

 

Two University of Toronto researchers who studied teen text messaging say that not only is the medium not wrecking the English language, but may actually be encouraging what some people refer to as a ‘linguistic renaissance’ as teens re-learn words like “shall” and “must.”

<note: I specifically added this factoid for ‘ye olde folke’ who want to go back to the way we learned and what we learned … oops … not that far back?>.

 

 

They also interviewed the teenagers and assessed their verbal conversation to compare.

 

What they found was a far more formal style of language in instant messaging than in oral speech.

 

 

“It’s by no means a written essay, but the features they use are features of a formal language.”

 

And in all those months of back-and-forth conversations, they found the word LOL <laugh out loud> occurred only 4,000 times … a minuscule proportion of total words used.

 

“They demonstrate very clearly that their grammatical skills are intact, and they very effectively mix it with other types of language.”

 

 

Regardless.

 

Teens destroying the English language.

 

This may be one of the silliest things I have ever heard <and makes me want to tear my hair out>.

 

Why? <you may ask>.

 

 

Well.

 

If I choose to simply ignore the research noted above … I would suggest that each generation puts their indelible stamp on the everyday language.words generational

 

Huh?

 

If we believe for one moment that someone in Shakespearean time wouldn’t look at us today after listening to two 50somethings talk … looking at us like we were crazy <possibly unsophisticated> … maybe even from a different planet … we just haven’t thought about it well enough.

 

Teens aren’t destroying anything.

 

In fact they are creating.

They are creating the new way of doing things.

 

Does it make us old folk uncomfortable?

Sure.

 

Because there was nothing wrong <to us> the way it was.

Oh.

And they are destroying our shit.

 

 

But.

To believe it will destroy things in a bad way is just darn silly.

 

We misuse the English language all the frickin’ time.

Teens do not have a corner on this market <a fun article about that>:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/11/pronunciation-errors-english-language

 

——–

Oh.

 

And technology and texting and ‘how the web is destroying the language’?

<give me a second while I stop laughing>

 

 

A major purpose of social networking sites … and you have to imagine one of the reasons why it is all so popular … is that in many ways they fill our need for external validation.

 

The web can even make validation grow to levels we couldn’t even imagine 15 years ago … especially in the internet generation where fame <lets maybe call it … become more well known than ever before> is more achievable than ever.

<yes: I will note that this external validation thought can be used for good … or for evil>

 

 

Regardless.

 

Language and words are part of that external validation.

 

Some people suggest that before Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr we didn’t have a need to post summaries of our days, our favorite song lyrics, or our deepest secrets on the internet in 140 characters or less and … even more importantly … expect a comment or two or hundred in response.

 

 

Uhm.

There is that one sticky word.

 

Need.

 

That is a tricky word.

 

How about …

 

Want?

Like to?

Enjoy?

 

Regardless.

 

The web has opened up a world in which instead of lurking in a shell wondering words swirlingif we would ever find a greater self-validation than a close circle of acquaintances … we can now seek external validation … among likeminded souls.

 

And just as close face-to- face friends have … external likeminded people have a similar language. Sometimes it is almost a code speak for an inner circle.

 

 

However.

 

If you doubt teen know the words … read some things they write on the web. See the thoughts they share in emails and texts.

It’s a whole new world out there folks … and these kids are finding words to talk about it <and we older folk need to be paying attention to it>:

 

 

“Loves a bitch,

Pains a whore,

& regret is the motherfucker that won’t leave you alone.”

 

 

They get it.teen indestructible

They get Life.

 

They are just finding a new vocabulary to discuss it.

 

And that okay.

Because the future is theirs … not ours.

 

Please.

We can surely live with some new words and ways of communicating as we help them get ready for the future … can’t we?

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Written by Bruce