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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Txtng Can B Gr8

Naomi S. Baron, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C., is the author of Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World. Baron believes that text messaging can be an effective way to communicate. But you need to know when to use-special texting languageoand when not to.

Does text messaging lead to the-acceptance of bad grammar and poor spelling? Many young people write-messages with abbreviations (like "U" for "you"), no capitalization ("i saw leslie") and phonetic spellings ("sez" for "says"). Some people think that text messaging is wonderful. However, others worry that texting language is harming written English. The answer is: Texting can be very useful, in the right place.

Many students assume that the-language often used in texting originated with cell phones. Actually, most of these shortcuts have been around for decades. Some abbreviations, like "b/c" for "because" or "btw" for "by the way," were used long before computers. Language shortcuts are a wonderful way to save time and-effort in informal writing.

2 txt or Not 2 txt?

Part of learning a language is figuring out which style to use when. We write more informally when we leave a note for our parents than when we compose an essay for school. But some kids are using texting language like "lol" or "sez" or "(SMILE)" in their school writing, rather than saving it for texting friends. That's a mistake!

Texting language can be a great way to play with words and to communicate with people you know well. Research shows that young children who enjoy rhyming and making up words are better readers than those who don't. Text messaging lets us explore the bounds of language.

But it is important to know when not to use texting language. Not in formal schoolwork. Not when writing Grandma a thank-you note.

It's easy to figure out what kind of language to use. You do it all the time when you speak. Think about your audience when you decide whether to use texting languageoand then have fun.

Next: A Roaring Return