Texting hurts your grammar

A study proves saying ‘2’ instead of ‘to,’ and other forms of techspeak, can affect a person’s ability to write well. Grammar purists rejoice.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

Many communicators around the world insist that it does. If you’re in this camp, there are now facts that can back you up. How gr8!

OnlineCollege.org created an infographic based on survey findings that say techspeak, the shortened language people use to quickly communicate via text or digital technology, affects one’s ability to properly use grammar.

Middle schoolers are the most likely to use techspeak—they send more than twice the amount of text messages than any other age group. It’s also the most detrimental to them, as the middle school years are the most formative learning years in a person’s life. The study concluded that middle schoolers who use techspeak may have trouble switching back to traditional grammar when they need to.

Here are a few telling statistics:

And here’s a doozy: 64 percent of teens admit they’ve used techspeak in classroom writing assignments.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.