15 October 2016
To the editor:
I am writing in response to the article “Twtr? It's Majorly Bad!’ to express my concern and opinion regarding your arguments. I personally believe that the article generates a one-sided and negative attitude towards technology, as stated that it is pivotal to “protect standards of English from the influence of text message and social media slang”.
Firstly, I’d like to remind you that textspeak is not the only major factor that may or may not affect a student’s grasp of spelling and grammar. The English language, and language in general, will always evolve. Therefore, solely blaming textspeak on mistakes and errors that students make is unnecessary, perhaps, invalid.
In the article, Caroline Jorden stated that “a generation of children are leaving school without a proper grasp of spelling and grammar because of the impact of so-called textspeak”. Not all students are as active on social media and technology as others, therefore, not all students leave without proper knowledge on spelling and grammar. I understand to some extend that textspeak may be introduced in a student’s academics, however, this is a subjective decision made by the students. Additionally, does this mean that our entire generation does this? In my opinion, the answer is no. As a student myself, I believe that we can distinguish when to use which type of language. In order for students to write abbreviations, they must first be able to spell the word and place it in a sentence, in order to apply and create shortcuts of the words. I also disagree that students grow up with “limited vocabularies because they spend so much free time on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.”. These sites are not full of textspeak, in fact, only 10% is. Not only do these sites expose students to a wide variety of text types and styles, it also allows them to read a variety of vocabulary. In fact, due to technology, students have a greater accessibility to literature compared to twenty years ago. Therefore, technology is not a literary monster that shreds and demolishes the history of spelling and grammar.
Furthermore, language is evolutionary, it is inevitable and absurd to attempt preventing this phenomenon from happening. Yes, technology is speeding up this process, however, it allows for a greater understanding and further communication amongst a community. Mrs. Jordan stated that “We should teach English in a traditional way. The correct use of grammar and spelling is important but there is going to be a whole generation which is not necessarily able to do that.”. Language has an evolutionary nature, therefore, “the traditional way” essentially has to adapt to the environment that its exposed to. Grammar and spelling is crucial in the English language, however, it must evolve parallel to language in order to prevent further complications.
The article itself provides a good understanding of the impact that technology has on language, however, I urge you to open up the arguments to a more open-minded nature. I recommend that you reconsider the validity of each argument, as expressed in this letter.
Sincerely,
Hey Fleur,
ReplyDeleteI found your blogpost very interesting to read as you were able to not only organise your ideas effectively but also, you were able to relate to factual information. I think this is a skill to have both content and organisation and is something you should keep up. Honestly speaking, a statement that caught my attention when reading this blog post was when you say: "Language is evolutionary, it is inevitable and absurd to attempt preventing this phenomenon from happening." I certainly agree with your statement because language evolves into a variety of dialects causing the rules not to be so constant. One thing that I think you could improve on was thoroughly justifying your factual research and further explaining how it is relatable to the text. Other than that, I think that you did a fantastic job having a well-structured letter with clear ideas. Looking forward for your future blogposts!
Hey Fleur! i enjoyed reading your post, I like how you have mentioned excatly where you have problems with texts by using example, i also liked how you not only showed a problem but also helped suggest a solution which I think is very smart. As I said before, i really like your style of writting!
ReplyDeleteFleur!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I would like to address your use of the conventions of a "Letter to the Editor", you have a clear perspective on the topic at hand. You have managed to section those ideas into concise, yet insightful, paragraphs. Furthermore, I would like to highlight your correct use of an argument and supportive statements. This is a text type that usually involves persuasive language, by which you have evidently used. "Furthermore, language is evolutionary, it is inevitable and absurd to attempt preventing this phenomenon from happening. Yes, technology is speeding up this process, however, it allows for a greater understanding and further communication amongst a community." Overall this was a great blogpost that embodied the text type at hand, and was also pleasurable to read.
Good job!