Comments on: OMG! Teens using :)&LOL @ skool http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/omg-teens-using-lol-skool/ of a new & social media guy, filmmaker and technofile. Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:29:45 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Spike http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/omg-teens-using-lol-skool/#comment-38 Spike Fri, 16 May 2008 08:49:38 +0000 http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-38 Some new research you might be interested in: the article is in a speech journal behind a paywall, but Ars Technica has <a href="http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080514-researchers-written-english-language-will-weather-lol-storm.html" rel="nofollow">a good summary</a> up. Basically, they find that teens are more formal in IM conversation than in spoken language and that abbreviations and "IMspeak" only accounts for 2.4% of the vocabulary they use on IM. Some new research you might be interested in: the article is in a speech journal behind a paywall, but Ars Technica has a good summary up. Basically, they find that teens are more formal in IM conversation than in spoken language and that abbreviations and “IMspeak” only accounts for 2.4% of the vocabulary they use on IM.

]]> By: Will http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/omg-teens-using-lol-skool/#comment-12 Will Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:54:34 +0000 http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-12 As usual, Spike has very insightful views on the subject. Very well put, Spike, I agree with you. I hadn't thought of your second point through completely, but I'm certainly glad you brought t up! I think it's perfectly fine for writing to continue to evolve - and now I'm really digging the (very obvious now that you've enlightened us) point that culture is reflected and changed through writing - but I think that my point is still valid for the school systems and look forward to seeing how writing is taught in a generation. Although there will always be a distinction between formal and informal writing, I'm curious to see how the 21st century short hand creeps into both. As usual, Spike has very insightful views on the subject. Very well put, Spike, I agree with you. I hadn’t thought of your second point through completely, but I’m certainly glad you brought t up! I think it’s perfectly fine for writing to continue to evolve – and now I’m really digging the (very obvious now that you’ve enlightened us) point that culture is reflected and changed through writing – but I think that my point is still valid for the school systems and look forward to seeing how writing is taught in a generation. Although there will always be a distinction between formal and informal writing, I’m curious to see how the 21st century short hand creeps into both.

]]> By: links for 2008-04-28 « Tom Altman’s Wedia Conversation http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/omg-teens-using-lol-skool/#comment-11 links for 2008-04-28 « Tom Altman’s Wedia Conversation Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:33:08 +0000 http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-11 [...] OMG! Teens using :)&LOL @ skool « Wide Angle Lenz (tags: teens electronic text) [...] [...] OMG! Teens using :) &LOL @ skool « Wide Angle Lenz (tags: teens electronic text) [...]

]]> By: Spike http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/omg-teens-using-lol-skool/#comment-10 Spike Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:41:23 +0000 http://wideanglelenz.wordpress.com/?p=9#comment-10 Two points I think are worth mentioning. The first is that written English is incredibly redundant. The average information content per character is somewhere in range of 0.5 bits (naively you'd expect to have to use 6 bits per character to uniquely represent the letters, numbers, and punctuation marks in written English). This is why abbreviations like OMG, LOL, and 2nite don't interfere with the ability to be understood (by people who are familiar with them). The other is that language is evolving alongside our culture. It *is* culture. What kids should learn in school is to be able to recognize good writing and to create good writing of their own. The difference between writing they do for school and that they do for themselves is an externally imposed distinction. The changes in the way we communicate are here to stay, and we can't expect that such sweeping changes will not be reflected in the language we use and encounter. The grammar and constructions we all learned in school evolved out of English that people actually used. If kids are learning about how to make language choices based on audience and message, it doesn't bother me in the slightest that an emoticon or an OMGWTFBBQ has slipped into their writing. It reflects the culture they live in, and we shouldn't want to whitewash that. Two points I think are worth mentioning. The first is that written English is incredibly redundant. The average information content per character is somewhere in range of 0.5 bits (naively you’d expect to have to use 6 bits per character to uniquely represent the letters, numbers, and punctuation marks in written English). This is why abbreviations like OMG, LOL, and 2nite don’t interfere with the ability to be understood (by people who are familiar with them).

The other is that language is evolving alongside our culture. It *is* culture. What kids should learn in school is to be able to recognize good writing and to create good writing of their own. The difference between writing they do for school and that they do for themselves is an externally imposed distinction. The changes in the way we communicate are here to stay, and we can’t expect that such sweeping changes will not be reflected in the language we use and encounter. The grammar and constructions we all learned in school evolved out of English that people actually used. If kids are learning about how to make language choices based on audience and message, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest that an emoticon or an OMGWTFBBQ has slipped into their writing. It reflects the culture they live in, and we shouldn’t want to whitewash that.

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