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IM Slang Is Not Bad For Teens

As it was discovered by a recent study by the University of Toronto, Canada, the slang and abbreviations used for instant online messaging do not hurt teens` speech. The researches claim that IM does not deserve its bad reputation as a grammar spoiler. The research`s findings were presented at the Linguistics Society of Canada and the United States annual meeting.

Linguist Sali Tagliamonte said: "Everybody thinks kids are ruining their language by using instant messaging, but these teens` messaging shows them expressing themselves flexibly through all registers. They actually show an extremely lucid command of the language. We shouldn`t worry." It was found in the study that 80 percent of Canadian teens use instant messaging and adopt its shorthand. The instant messaging language mirrors patterns in speech but on the other hand teens combine informal and formal speech, so adverse claims about instant messaging are exaggerated.

The study was the largest of its kind and focused on characteristic features of computer-mediated communication and examined four features of grammar: intensifiers, future tenses, quotes and deontic modality. The next step in the research would be an examination of other styles of writing compared to instant messaging.