by Jacqui Pratlett

Created on: October 19, 2010

Webspeak (or text speak) is something embedded into the brains of younger people today, and as an English teacher it frustrates and worries me in equal measure. I'm sure parents feel the same, and if they don't they certainly should.

Webspeak is something that has arisen from a new era of conversation and communication. The letter and telephone had been replaced by msn and sms (the names say it all really!). Young people no longer phone each other for a chat, or write a quick note, they have the Internet and mobile phones to do this for them. The web has made communication easier, and in a lot of ways quicker too. This is where the problem lies. When you type a message to someone, it takes more effort than saying it, so people have traded their standard English for a stinted, massacred, blunt version - webspeak. Webspeak shortens words to letters, for example 'you' becomes 'u' - three times quicker to type. Our vowels are slipping too, becoming apparently too cumbersome and are just getting in the way - 'speak' for example would become 'spk'. Words also take on their literal pronunciation rather than the standard English spellings - for example 'what' becomes 'wot' - elegant, no?

This is a problem for many reasons, but parents in particular should worry because it is something they can do something about. As a teacher, I see endless amounts of webspeak in essays and stories and I feel my toes curl. Parents, however, may not be so aware of this new language, as it is not always apparent through speech alone.

The concern of parents should be the 'inbuilt' nature of this new way of communication; young people do not always realise they are making a mistake. parents must take it upon themselves to find opportunity for traditional conversation and communication. Rather than spending time talking to their friends via msn or just texting them at the dinner table, encourage young people to talk face to face, invite friends to dinner, or go out to play. technology is undoubtedly the future of communication, but at a young age parents should encourage their children to communicate on a traditional level first, learning the value of good conversation and technically accurate writing. Parents who are clued up about the invasion of webspeak are more likely to help young people communicate in other ways, and effectively improve a child's literacy. Webspeak also encourages traits such as laziness, which is not something that will help in later life, let alone around the home.

It is an annoying habit young people pick up so effortlessly today, but something which can have severe and lasting effects on a child's success in life. As a parent, you should be concerned that webspeak is holding your child back and excluding them from essential means of communication. Suggesting alternatives to communication through technology can only help - you need to assist now, before it is so inherent we all srt 2 tlk lk it...

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