Luv 2 Txt | Teen Ink

Luv 2 Txt MAG

January 29, 2009
By Christina Costello BRONZE, Hopedale, Massachusetts
Christina Costello BRONZE, Hopedale, Massachusetts
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

You need to send a quick text to your mom to tell her soccer practice is canceled. In an effort not to get caught, you reach ever so slowly, skillfully, and one-handedly into your backpack. Drawing your bright purple handheld lifeline from the front pocket, you are careful not to press any button that will reveal your mission to Mr. Boring, who is yapping away at the front of the room. With the phone in your lap, you try not to look down as you type: “sccer canceled! pick^ @2 thx <3.”

Sent. You slip it into you pocket, fearing you will not be able to discreetly get it back in your bag. But wait … your BFF Lucy’s hair looked utterly ridiculous when you passed her in the hall on your way to bio. It’s unthinkable to wait until lunch to tell her. Only a horrid friend would let her saunter around with a mortifying hairdo! So, you repeat the sneaky process of texting: “Fix ur hair, its sticking ^!!!!” Now, not only have you just missed two whole possibly important minutes of Mr. Boring’s lecture, but you have furthered the decline of your spelling and vocabulary.

Could you understand the title of this article? Anyone who has ever texted or used instant messaging can. Most teens love to text. What our English teachers, parents, and future employers would prefer us to say is “I love grammar,” which most of us don’t. There are times when we have to use proper grammar and times when we don’t. The problem is that the line between when to spell-check and proofread and when to just type and send is becoming blurred and almost invisible.

The way we type when we use virtual communication devices affects the way we spell – not just when we’re in a rush, but on school or job assignments too. Ever caught yourself writing u instead of you in an ­essay for school? What about tho instead of though? In a world where instant gratification is everything, we simply do not take the time to add the few extra letters. Although teens today will eventually become the ones who set the standards for spelling and grammar, our elders are calling the shots now, and they tend to look down on spelling and grammatical errors. This could easily affect one’s grades or job opportunities.

Notice it or not, the words we choose, or rather don’t choose, when we use informal communication have significance. Rarely in a text message will a teen use the extensive vocabulary preached by our educators. Seldom do we see the word exultant for happy, morose for sad, querulous for annoyed, or ecstatic for glad in a text. We must reawaken this vast glossary of obscure and unused words if we expect to succeed on exams like the SATs that affect our future.

So, go ahead, work your fingers to the bone texting, but before you hit send, think about what you have written. Consider the words you chose and the way you spelled them and maybe, just maybe, you will retype your message.



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This article has 306 comments.


AsherJ SILVER said...
on Mar. 12 2010 at 9:25 pm
AsherJ SILVER, Parker, Colorado
6 articles 2 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;You know you&#039;re in love when you can&#039;t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.&rdquo;<br /> ~Dr. Seuss

I completely agree! I still type out full words. My mom make me type my messages like emails, so not all teenagers talk in text language

kenz said...
on Mar. 10 2010 at 11:55 am
Telling words are awesome but I hardly ever use them. I spell it all out most of the time... but that doesn't matter. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.:) So bye, HAVE FUN TEXING EVERYBODY!!:)

on Feb. 23 2010 at 3:26 pm
Sorry! I swore it said teacher on one post

on Feb. 18 2010 at 8:02 pm
NaCheezIt SILVER, Missouri City, Texas
8 articles 1 photo 14 comments
I love texting. But I never use chatspeak. It bothers me to see it. Not everyone is like this!

on Feb. 18 2010 at 7:55 pm
juicyfan6 BRONZE, Mount Laurel, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.&quot; - J.K. Rowling

lol my mom uses chatspeak more than I do too. It creeps me out when she writes "lmao" and that sort of stuff when we're texting. My mom texts A LOT.

on Feb. 18 2010 at 3:14 pm
Piper_at_the_gates SILVER, Kennebunk, Maine
6 articles 0 photos 14 comments
my mom uses perfect grammar, but I'm pretty close with my best friend's mother, and when I talk to her on facebook chat, she sometimes says 'u' and 'y' instead of 'you' and 'why'. It's really weird.

on Feb. 18 2010 at 3:10 pm
KatherineRose SILVER, Philadelphia, Other
9 articles 1 photo 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Here&rsquo;s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They&rsquo;re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with

My mom uses chatspeak more then I do, so it always creeps me out when she writes 'u' instead of you.

on Feb. 18 2010 at 3:08 pm
Piper_at_the_gates SILVER, Kennebunk, Maine
6 articles 0 photos 14 comments
I disagree. I don't have a phone and I don't want one, and I think texting could be handy at times, but I do believe that texting nonstop will damage your eyes in the long run.

by the way- you*, once*,

on Feb. 18 2010 at 3:07 pm
lol- yeah. great view Trinity. but one thing- my name is teenager, not teacher lol

on Feb. 18 2010 at 3:06 pm
Piper_at_the_gates SILVER, Kennebunk, Maine
6 articles 0 photos 14 comments
I know, I really never use chatspeak, actually it surprised me the other day that I even use BRB, but mainly because when I have to say it, I have to go somewhere really quick, so typing out be-right-back wastes time

on Feb. 18 2010 at 7:11 am
Happy2lV3Hate GOLD, Gfa, Kentucky
10 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
Im gone...dust in the wind. I smile down at these people. <br /> <br /> Stop pretending, your just like me. You&#039;ll die one day or another.

Preechyteacher you are correct, stop arguing the hypocrite who spends his time arguing people you do not even know. The only reason I am on here is because I am forced to but your comment dispute is funny. People shorten their texts so that incase of emergency, we have created something. Now I am a person who only abbreviates in emergencies. But if you want to call me lazy, go on your own hypocritical words. My computer also doesn't have a spell check, but I proofread. It's quite a shame that you both carry on such a hot dispute, in such informative terms, this should be posted on the news, this is such a catch, I have to follow you all.

on Feb. 18 2010 at 5:21 am
KatherineRose SILVER, Philadelphia, Other
9 articles 1 photo 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Here&rsquo;s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They&rsquo;re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with

I actually never use chatspeak when texting. Now anyone reading this would probably assume I don't text very much, but I do. All the time. Ask my mom and Dad. Even online, I only use it to parody my best friend and how even though she may be the smartest girl in our grade, she still uses texters talk. I write my messags out so fully to the point that if I tell my mom to pick me up, I end up typing two thirty insted of 2:30 because I am so used to going the extra mile when I type.

on Feb. 18 2010 at 4:57 am
hey! its not laziness that causes us to us texting words, its something to do with limited letter count! hello!? nick17 its not laziness. i (personally) agree with thepreechyteenager

on Feb. 12 2010 at 11:08 am
Shel-Bells SILVER, Middletown, Delaware
8 articles 2 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
When nothing goes right , go left (:

This is very true. I kinda agree in a way, my english teacher informed her classes on the first day of school that she wont stand poor grammar. She talks constantly about texting effecting our grammar. I am dyslexic and very often mis spell words , but I reliezed texting has actually helped me ! it corrects some of my mistakes ! My english teacher recently reliezed that my grammar has improved since i told her that texting was helping me ! Sh'e blown away by my improvment . But i'm one of those people who need to text and without there phone they will "die" i'm not kidding eathier !

corri123 said...
on Feb. 10 2010 at 1:34 pm
i think texting is so cool and if yiou do not have a phone or you do not know how to text or you dont have texting on your phone then you need texting. ones you have it you can never stop texting!!!!!!!!!!

on Feb. 4 2010 at 11:14 am
I KNOW! It's soooo annoying! :D

on Feb. 1 2010 at 2:59 pm
OK- i officially give ^. when i go on Teen ink, i usually type like this. sorry. i've tried to get u 2 be more accepting of text talking, apparently in vain. whatever. you may not be able to ever understand why people text talk, (hint- the reason is not laziness) but i can at leat know that i tried to tell you. apparently my original comment stuck out, poeple some one felt o sooooo compelled to disagree again and again

And most of all I'm sorry Christina C., I would want two people whom i do not know commenting on my article again and again and I'm sorry for being one of those people. i will not do it on this or any of your articles again

Nick17 said...
on Jan. 31 2010 at 6:27 pm
Nick17, Livermore, California
0 articles 0 photos 11 comments
Step outside your little box. My computer does not automatically underline misspelled words. I do not get those handy little tips as I type. Only in Word.

"Standers." Enough said, I suppose.

Honest mistakes are fine. Intentionally mangling the language is gross.

Your Mozart comparison? That was simply silly. Pure and simple. You have absolutely no idea what you are saying anymore.

And yes- Most texters are lazy, when it comes to texting. That is what the discussion is about, you know. They are lazy texters. Don't try to make my comment out to be more than it was.

on Jan. 31 2010 at 3:45 pm
Oh, so you want to play grammar games now do you? Well, okay then Mr. "TAed" or "fmaily"- try me. Yes, I make spelling and grammar mistakes. Quite obviously, so do you. As I type this into the little 'Comments/ feedback' box, I notice that the words you misspelled and I restated have been underlined in red, a sign telling you "Hello, these words are spelled wrong!" So, did you, the one who values grammar, spell check your comments before you sent them? If so, your skills are very weak, most people can identify what green and red lines mean. I myself value grammar to an extent- but seemingly not nearly as far as you. I know preachy is spelled with an 'a', and yet it's spelled with an 'e' in my name. Call me lazy, call me dumb, judge me without sufficient facts, do as you please.

"On top of that," about what percent of texters do you think take the time to use proper spelling and grammar? Quite truthfully I don't know. But I would imagine you and your friend are a minority, the texters with grammar. So, if you are to say that texting without grammar is lazy, then you are calling the majority of the texting community lazy. Offensive to millions- and if to you most texters are lazy, then you must have a spectacular outlook on life.

Faster and easier is lazy? That sounds like a final attempt for AT&T to get Verison customers to switch to their network. So by those standers, if you want to listen to a great work of music, listening to Mozart rather than writing your own symphony is lazy? Watching the Super Bowl? Looking at a Picasso? Sorry if I took that out of scale- just making a point. For all you and I know, there is a texter who uses despicable spelling and grammar, but works harder every day than what you and I do in a week.

Nick17 said...
on Jan. 31 2010 at 2:20 pm
Nick17, Livermore, California
0 articles 0 photos 11 comments
"You value grammar and respect yourself, but other people value family, friends, school work, sports, or social status".

Did you proof read that before you sent it?

On top of that, everytime I ask someone why they would write in such a way, the top two answers are, "faster" and "easier." Doing things the fast and easy way instead of the long and hard way... I'm pretty sure that is a sign of laziness. In fact, the definition of lazy is, "Unwilling to work". They can take the extra time, they choose not to do so, which is lazy.