Texting hurts you

[john mcgill]

You young ones are in danger!

Taken from today's New York Times:

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Ireland's youth are becoming increasingly poor spellers and writers, and their love of text messaging on cell phones is a major reason why, according to the government's Education Department.

In a report published Wednesday, the department's Examination Commission said cutting-edge communications technology has encouraged poor literacy and a blunt, choppy style at odds with academic rigor.

''Text messaging, with its use of phonetic spelling and little or no punctuation, seems to pose a threat to traditional conventions in writing,'' according to the report, based on national test results in English for about 37,000 students aged 15 and 16.

The report branded today's teens ''unduly reliant on short sentences, simple tenses and a limited vocabulary.''

Too many test-takers, it said, were ''choosing to answer sparingly, even minimally, rather than seeing questions as invitations to explore the territory they had studied and to express the breadth and depth of their learning and understanding.''

Ireland is among the world leaders in cell-phone use -- in part because of traditionally high costs for conventional phone lines -- and surveys indicate that a majority of children have their own mobile phone by age 12, with the most enthusiastic texters sending more than 250 a week.

[ziggysego]

I know people hate me for it, but I insist on using proper spelling and proper grammar when sending text messages. Even if that means spilling over into two SMSs. I hate recieving.. "wat u doin l8r cu @ game"

[ONeill]

Gd Good man Ziggy. I'm with u you on this 1 one. 2 Too many take the easy way out. We can make txtin texting sexy again.

[Orior]

I have a Siemens mobile, and prefer to use its predictive text feature.

[Gnevin]

I will use whole words but i am guilty of throwing in question marks randomly when i'm stuck for something to say

[Fionntamhnach]

Not just in Ireland where there's a problem. There was a case of a girl in England who wrote an English essay entirely in txtspk.

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Sure aren't the Scottish (or is it the english) examining boards, now letting them do exams in txt spk???

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

As far as I heard, yeah.

But not sure which area.

[amallon]

I use (or I try to use) proper spelling grammar in text messages as well.  I don't mind abbreviated words but messages can be impossible to understand if they don't have the correct punctuation.

Look at the different meanings of these two sentences (heard on the Last Word last week)

He eats, shoots and leaves.
He eats shoots and leaves.

[ONeill]

Read that book. Starts well. Begins to bore. A lot.

[amallon]

What does lmfao mean?

[his holiness nb]

Full words for me, that ould text speak is just like Ulster scotch!

[ziggysego]

No holiness, text speak is harder to follow ;-)