The idea that different forms of language are appropriate (or effective) in different situations is probably pretty clear to most of the people reading this, but the Okcupid archives (what a fantastic source — can’t wait to use this in class. Thanks, Dan) and the conversation that provoked Tom’s post point to the fact that some people aren’t there yet. This includes my pupils, and I have come to consider raising awareness about different registers of language as a major part of my job. We’re seeing an increase in people’s job applications being rejected for poor spelling or inappropriate language, for instance. The increase in reading and writing that modern technology has produced lately may have opened a few pitfalls that we have to prepare our pupils for differently than schools have done earlier.

(This is more complicated than just a range of registers, I know. I myself, for instance, might write ‘color’ in a text message, but would never have written it here without scare quotes. I just can’t bring myself to do it. Tom, I’m guessing you always write it that way.)

2. When I IM my grammar disappears (mostly into lowercase fragments, I only abbreviate words I know I’ll misspell because spellcheck/dictionary takes too long in that format).

When students first IMed me, I tried to stick to proper English, but quickly realized that’s not the way I communicate in that medium. Count me among those who model code-switching.

I wasn’t reading the superiority in. The post was based on a specific conversation. Looking back on it more critically, I see what you’re saying. I seem to demand that people use abbreviation and that was not my intent. I think I clarified that above. I’ll probably clarify it in the post.

I’m not saying students should be able to write papers in text speak. I just want people to put this into context.

The context being that texting isn’t the end of the world. English is not an unchanging, logical Platonic ideal. Try to relax.

Haven’t students always picked up what’s easiest/most common? Isn’t one of the roles of school to teach students the harder things? English teachers (I was one) ought to be teaching people when and how to choose channels of communication as well as styles. I know mine did. I know I did as a teacher (Voice being a fundamental component of writing). If we did a better job of this we might avoid travesties like the tweet from the congressman above.

As an English teacher, I usually don’t use textspeak–not because I think I’m better than people who do, but because textspeak is unnatural to me and I don’t always feel it’s clear. I don’t think it’s a moral issue at all.

Tom, I find it interesting that you’re reading a whole wad of superiority complexes into someone else’s choice not to code-switch. Does their lack of abbreviation hurt you in some way? To me, lambasting people for using proper English is just silly.

Did Bfast Wloo Gates Optimist Pancakes. Helps w education at Cunningham school. Rest of Sat at finals HS Voleyball in CRapids.

It’s certainly amusing, though.

Personally, I admire people who aspire to high standards of communication regardless of the medium – e-mail, IM, Twitter, text messaging, whatever – notwithstanding their smug self-righteousness.