Over to you: Is text messaging threatening literacy?

A students opinion of text messaging

Lisa McDonnell

Transition Year Student, St Mary's, Killester, Dublin.

Since text messaging has become one of the quickest and easiest forms of communication between teenagers and pre-teens, grammar and spelling have deteriorated dramatically. This proves to be a huge problem in the classroom, Instead of using full words and writing full sentences, vowels are taken out of words and abbreviations are often used. This is a growing problem and students taking the Junior and Leaving Certificate who are using "text" language in essays and exercises will, more than likely, use it in the exams. This will mean losing much needed marks.

A bigger problem is children in primary schools, who also have access to mobile phones and text messaging. They are still learning how to spell and use grammar correctly. If they are accustomed to using text language in everyday life, they will find it very hard to grow out of that habit and it may prove a problem in later life.

I think the media and the advertising industry contribute to this problem. Some mobile phone companies use abbreviations in their adverts and also on informative text messages. They are almost promoting the use of bad spelling. There are books published with abbreviations of words for text messaging, but, again, it is used for other purposes too.

Unfortunately, so many of today's youth are now comfortable using text language that there is nothing that can be done to stop this rapidly growing trend.

I admit shorthand is useful when you are trying to tell a story in a limited space, but I don't think it should have such an impact on spelling and grammar. I think teachers should make students more aware of this problem and teach them the necessity of good grammar and spelling and the consequences that writing in shorthand might have in the future.