Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

I write to you with the desire to convey my perspective on the argument tapped into, concerning the phenomenon of 'Text Speak' and the ostensible torment it has inflicted on teachers, in your latest issue. Whilst I do concede with some statements made within the article, in the entirety, I am afraid that I disagree with the outright condemning of social media platforms and the indirect labelling of technology oriented colloquialisms as a liability to the acquisition of Standard English.

As a student/youngster of today's generation, I find it quite unsettling how the article (falsely) reflects the youth's ineptitude to draw a line between contexts that justify the utilization of a certain nuance of English. Yes, the youth indulges in a new form of English alluded to as 'Text Speak,' however, the evidence provided to support the argument of this practice mitigating one's competency in Standard English is quite unreasonable. The article claims that children these days spend a lot of their time on "Facebook" and "Twitter" which translates to them having "limited vocabulary." As much as I have tried to comprehend this claim, I just cannot begin to absorb it merely because exposure to the World Wide Web and said platforms has perpetually been credited as for expanding our linguistic capabilities by constantly being introduced to novel words and phrases. So much so, new neologisms that have emerged from online phenomenons like 'Text Speak' are today even being legitimized by the Oxford English Dictionary. In my opinion, the English language has been subject to change throughout the of course of history. With every evolving generation comes an evolved form of the language, and for our generation technology just so happens to be the catalyst for this change.

Now, I understand how the manifestations of colloquial terminology and improper syntax and spellings may irk teachers. Nevertheless, what I do not understand is why technology is being accused as the primary reason for students' weakened awareness regarding the conventions of the English language? In fact, according to John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University, the improper use of the rules of English is a relatively dated concept that can be traced back to several decades ago; thus, indicating that it is not purely the advent of technology that has caused this unfortunate notoriety to materialize. With all due respect, perhaps Mrs. Jordan should look into a viable solution to this problem as opposed to dismissing her students and their grammatical flaws as incorrigible. A balance needs to be struck between the exercising of the varied structures of English and I personally believe schools, where students spend a substantial amount of their time, should be a conduit to solidify this balance.

Sincerely,

Shriya Baweja