Chatspeak. Oh dear.
I don't know if I would go as far to say that chatspeak is destroying the English language, but I definitely think it is destroying many aspects of writing. Decreasing vocabulary, bad spelling, grammar and punctuation. Yikes.
After so many years of text messages and instant messages, I started noticing in myself that when I wrote emails I wasn't capitalizing my I's or using proper punctuation. When I realized I was becoming a dummy myself, I made a conscious effort to change. I have never used 'u' or 4 or things like that at any time in any form of communication. I refuse. I am not so busy with my life that I cannot and a Y and an O.
Linda Howard says in the article, "...and many young people will have a difficult time drawing the line between acceptable and unacceptable dialogue in everyday life, especially in written communications." (Is chatspeak destroying, 2007). I completely agree with her. While it is true that children are getting writing practice in school, the amount at which they are practicing chatspeak on a daily basis versus the time they are practicing proper writing is night and day. Think of how much time kids spend on instant messaging devices and sending text messages. Many hours a day.
I would like to reference something I found a couple of years ago when I was browsing 'Twilight' websites to make fun of fans of this series. The Twilight fans did not disappoint. I found a 'list of 100 reasons why Twilight is better than Harry Potter' (Which it most certainly isn't, BTDubs.)
Some of these geniuses had truly profound reasons for their love of this awful story:
"The reason it is better to Twilight: 2 words: love story. Becoz Harree Pottur totaly isnt. Da sacrifize ov life 2 save othurs isnt luv at all."
Are you kidding me? I can't even give you an A for effort....Complete and total F.
Here's another one:
"The reason is is better to Twilight: Since it is just common sense this is like the dark! Haha. Romance means everything. Bella and Edward are like, ment 4 each other, and everything is easy...PERFENT! In Harry Potter, in that that will destroy Harmonie like...fall in love or something...and then to watch people die in a freaky way, and then there's creepy stuff...GAHH! but yea. (: I do not like his twilight is all about the idiot love to get away from her problems."
Did anyone understand that at all?
(Taken from http://movies.msn.com/superfans/twilight/twilight-vs-harry-potter-face-off/top-100-reasons-twilight-is-better-than-harry-potter/ )
Oh how I fear for the world.
Other reference:
Is Chatspeak destroying english? (2007). Learning and leading with technology, Retrieved from http://www.iste.org.
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