As I was writing my review of the Barton text, I decided to group chapters thematically. I hope the themes make sense to other readers, but if they don't, I tried to explain the groupings explicitly in my opening paragraph. I've committed to this approach, but I'm afraid that jumping around the book will be confusing. Hopefully, this fear will cause me to pay special attention to my descriptions and organization.
On another topic, I've found this book to be very interesting and useful for thinking about disciplines outside the realm of 'literacy'. I can't say that I have much to be critical about (other than Barton should have organized his book the way I do in my paper!).
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Patterns of Speech and Instant Messages
I was hoping the results of Naomi Baron's pilot study were going to tell me definitively, "Yes, the patterns of speech and instant messages are the same" or "No, instant messages follow patterns of written language." But the end of the chapter left me feeling that the question is one that can't be answered in such either/or terms.
Perhaps, IM is a form of language all it's own - a hybrid of writing and speech. In Crystal's chapter on email, he suggests the same may be true of that medium as well. Whether it is email, instant message, or text message, I think each is dynamic in use. A user may email as a written form of a communication act and as a spoken form for another. This would be evidenced in the composer's attention to greetings and closings, use of contractions and emoticons, and structure of the message.
Perhaps, IM is a form of language all it's own - a hybrid of writing and speech. In Crystal's chapter on email, he suggests the same may be true of that medium as well. Whether it is email, instant message, or text message, I think each is dynamic in use. A user may email as a written form of a communication act and as a spoken form for another. This would be evidenced in the composer's attention to greetings and closings, use of contractions and emoticons, and structure of the message.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Language in the Chat Room
A great deal of Crystal's explanation of Netspeak offered examples from multi-user dungeons and chat rooms. While it is important to study the development of Netspeak, I found the focus on these less-popular technologies to be outdated. Perhaps this is merely a reflection of the changing nature of technology - a nature that published books often struggle to capture.
In Always On however, Baron describes a new prevailing view of chatrooms. She notes that while popular during the 1990's in the United States, they are now viewed as 'creepy' and not appealing (Baron, p 23). She suggests that educational MOOs and instant message buddy lists have replaced the chatroom. Another possibility is the prevalence of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, which do not have chat room components.
While understanding the historical development of the terms is useful, as an educator, I am more interested in the current development of Netspeak and how it affects language and writing in the classroom. Reports that text abbreviations are creeping into students' writing suggests we examine the function of literacy using the ecological perspective, as Barton advises. There is no sense to dismiss text abbreviations as not having communicative value in the classroom, but teaching students appropriate times to use such shorthand in the school context is worthwhile.
In Always On however, Baron describes a new prevailing view of chatrooms. She notes that while popular during the 1990's in the United States, they are now viewed as 'creepy' and not appealing (Baron, p 23). She suggests that educational MOOs and instant message buddy lists have replaced the chatroom. Another possibility is the prevalence of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, which do not have chat room components.
While understanding the historical development of the terms is useful, as an educator, I am more interested in the current development of Netspeak and how it affects language and writing in the classroom. Reports that text abbreviations are creeping into students' writing suggests we examine the function of literacy using the ecological perspective, as Barton advises. There is no sense to dismiss text abbreviations as not having communicative value in the classroom, but teaching students appropriate times to use such shorthand in the school context is worthwhile.
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