[:en]
“People have always spoken differently from how they write, and texting is actually talking with your fingers “, says John McWhorter, American academic, political commentator, and linguist. (watch his talk below)
According to McWhorter one can’t compare texting to actual language since they’re not the same thing. Texting has its own grammar and that’s okay, he says. Since ancient times written and spoken language have been different.
Just look at grammar in the classical texts. This is not how people spoke. Nor will they begin to speak or write in texting language. Or so McWhorter implies and believes “… there is no evidence that texting is ruining composition skills.”
Others don’t agree. The topic of texting language and especially students’ ability to write properly is a much-debated topic in school staffrooms, academic institutions and in media.
In an article, “Flipping the Switch,” Kristen Turner tells how the informal electronic language is slipping into the work of students and that the quality of work has been degrading. Many a teacher and lecturer might be able to attest to this phenomenon.
Words are generally shortened due to the character limit of platforms like Twitter and of course, texts. Numbers replace letters because they are shorter. (for example 2, instead of too) More slang terms are used, for example, bae or on fleek. Punctuation is omitted, as well as capital letters.
After surveying 2000 families, John Sutherland, professor emeritus at University College London, observed that 86% of parents do not understand most of the terms their children use in their electronic media. He therefore aptly refers to text language as “barbed wire for an older generation”. As soon as the older generation learns the language, the youth moves on and creates a new one.
And then we have autocorrect. We no longer need to be able to spell. We have something that does the spelling (and typing) for us. It would be difficult to believe that all these factors do not have some influence on the writing skills of students.
A third group argues that text language is merely indicating that a language is growing and changing. David Crystal, author of Txtng: The Gr8 Db8, believes it adds another dimension to language.
What is your experience in the classroom with students or with your children at home? Should we be worried or are we being needlessly paranoid?
[:af]
Volgens die akademikus, linguis en politiese kommentator, John McWhorter, was mense se praat- en skryftaal nog altyd verskillend. Om ʼn SMS te stuur, is eintlik om met jou vingers te praat. (kyk sy praatjie onder)
ʼn Mens kan nie SMS-taal met ʼn werklike taal vergelyk nie. Dis glad nie dieselfde verskynsel nie, sê McWhorter. SMSe het hul eie taal en dis reg so. Geskrewe en praattaal is al sedert antieke tye twee verskillende goed.
Kyk byvoorbeeld na taal in klassieke tekste. Dis nie hoe mense gepraat het nie. Net so sal mense nie skielik praat en skryf soos hulle SMS nie. Of dit is wat McWhorter glo. Volgens hom is daar geen bewys dat SMS-taal skryfvaardighede benadeel nie.
Daar is egter akademici wat met hom verskil. Die onderwerp van SMS-taal, en veral studente se vermoë om behoorlik te kan skryf, is ʼn hete onderwerp in personeelkamers, akademiese instellings en in die media.
In haar artikel, “Flipping the Switch”, verwys Kristen Turner na die agteruitgang van die kwaliteit van studente se werk en hoe informele, elektroniese taal geleidelik geskrewe werk binnegedring het. Onderwysers en dosente mag ook van hierdie verskynsel getuig.
In informele, elektroniese taal, word woorde verkort weens beperkte beskikbare karakters. Twitter laat byvoorbeeld net 140 karakters toe. Letters of woorde word vervang deur syfers, omdat dit korter is. (byvoorbeeld 2, in plaas van too) Meer jargon-terme word gebruik, byvoorbeeld bae of on fleek. Leestekens en hoofletters word weggelaat.
John Sutherland, emeritus professor emeritus by University College London het 2000 families bestudeer en opgemerk dat 86% van die ouers die meeste van die terme wat hulle kinders in elektroniese media gebruik, glad nie verstaan nie. Dis ook van pas dat hy na SMS-taal verwys as “barbed wire for an older generation”. Sodra die ouer generasie die taal begin verstaan, beweeg die jeug aan en ontwikkel iets nuuts en onverstaanbaar.
En dan is daar autocorrect. Ons hoef nie meer te kan spel nie, ons toestelle spel en tik namens ons. Gegewe bogenoemde, is dit moeilik om te glo dat informele, elektroniese taal nie tog ʼn invloed op die skryfvaardighede van studente sal hê nie.
ʼn Derde groep argumenteer dat SMS-taal bloot aandui dat die taal groei en verander. David Crystal, skrywer van Txtng: The Gr8 Db8, glo dit voeg ʼn nuwe dimensie by taal.
Wat is jou ondervinding in die klaskamer met studente of jou kinders by die huis? Behoort ons bekommerd te wees of is ons maar net onnodig paranoïes?
[BRONNE/SOURCES: http://ideas.time.com, http://blogginghel.blogspot.co.za, http://www.dailymail.co.uk]
