"r u online?': The Evolving Lexicon of Wired Teens"

Well today I'm at work, and although some days it is crazy around here and I find myself incredibly busy, today is not one of those days. So rather than sit and play games or chat on facebook, I've decided to be productive and do homework early. So i read the "r u online?" essay.

I like most college students am guilty of the teen "lexicon" or vocabulary. I text and i.m. on a regular basis, and I am guilty of using abbrievations and other devices to help my speed. So reading this article was something that interested me, and something that I could form opinions on.

The first thing I noticed about this essay was the fact that our generation was not the first generation to change language. This is not something that I am typically not used to hearing. Most of the talk is how technology is ruining our generation by allowing us to use improper language and abbreviations. But there is never any focus on the fact that our generation is not the only generation to change language to fit it to our lives. Neil Randall is quoted in the essay as saying "This is really an extension of what teenagers have always done: recreate the language to their own image." I found this to be an interesting point. So maybe our changes in language are more dramatic than other generations, or maybe we have made them in different ways, but the point is, we aren't the only generation to make changes.

The next part I found interesting was the parents being worried about the online grammar being carried over to paper and homework. I know for me, I can tell the difference between chatting with my friends or writing on someone's facebook wall, and writing a paper. I know when to use one type of English and when to use the other. This ties into daily conversation. People don't talk to their friends the way they would talk to a professor or parent, and they are able to handle having those two types of language, so how is it different in writing? I know when I'm writing a formal paper not to write, btw for by the way. It's common sense. I don't think that parents fearing their children will begin to write in a completely atrocious manner is logical. Of course they may have some grammar errors, no one is perfect, but they aren't simply going to start throwing in j/ks all over the place.

People need to realize that language changes. No generation keeps the exact same way of speaking as the generation before them had, and this has been proven over time. Our generation isn't ruining the English language by simply trying to save a little time and energy by abbreviating some words.