Chatspeak?

The topic of Chatspeak is very interesting. Both sides have some valid points. Here is where I stand. I believe Chatspeak is not effecting our students in a negative way. This young generation has adapted a way to communicate faster and more effective. You can't fault them. I still believe the young generation can write fine English papers. I have seen it with my own eyes. Good papers are being written.

"The kids know the difference" Greg Monfils

When I was growing up instant message was the cool thing to do. Everybody did it. As a sophomore in high school I was responsible to read other peers work and critique their papers. I must of read 20-30 papers. Never once did I catch a sign of chatspeak in any of the papers. My peers were responsible enough to separate chatspeak with written English papers. If teachers can teach the difference between chatspeak and proper English, the kids will make the responsible choice. They want to score well on their papers. If expectations are set by the teacher, the students will do what they can to earn a good score.

This article raised a interesting question in my head. All the time our culture is changing. If you look at the way we use English over time, it constantly changes. Why do we expect anything else? Things are going to change. We don't talk like Shakespeare any longer. We don't talk like we talked fifty years ago. Things are changing. Last time I checked language is used to communicate. Chatspeak is a effective way for people to communicate over text or computer. If it works, why fight it? Embrace it and use it as a teaching tool. Explain the importance of Chatspeak, but also talk about the importance of using proper English. Kids will understand when to use which kind of language in the appropriate situation.