Quote: You may not like seeing the phrase “LOL — U R gr8” on the page, but it is common enough that you are likely to understand it. Why have such inadvertent “reforms” succeeded where generations of dedicated intellectual attempts have not? And will they last?
Reaction: As we all know Americans are becoming more and more fast paced and always on a time crunch so yes it’s easier to type LOL, R U there, and TTYL but is it hurting your written grammar? It’s becoming more common to see these abbreviations on written papers and scholars are afraid that these text and instant messages are hurting correct grammar and punctuation when writing educational written essays. You might be able to understand the abbreviated version of common phrases but do you think it’s acceptable as a teacher to model and allow these abbreviations? I say no. By allowing and modeling you are showing children that it’s okay to use these abbreviations and after enough time they will become more common to write than the original correct version. The other question is whether or not it will last? I believe it will last if teachers, parents, and role models don't nip it in the butt as soon as possible. If they think its acceptable then the children will think the same and the bad habit will never get kicked. So what I'm trying to say is that it’s really up to teachers, parents, future teachers, future parents, and other role models in order to make sure that this bad habit doesn't last. It's all in our hands!
Reference: SHEA, A. (n.d). On Language- The Keypad Solution-NYTimes.com.NY Times Advertisement. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/magazine/24FOB-onlanguage-t.html
Related Sources: This is an article and video talking about a related dilemma concerning social networking cites.
I completly agree with you on the fact that by allowing studetns to use these abbrevation you are not allowing them to get used to the correct way to communicate. Interesting reaction!
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