

My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 : -@ kids FTF. ILNY; its gr8. Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad. The middle school teacher in England who received this as homework couldn't either. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or mobile phones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the "translation" of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York; it's great. Schoolteachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted . Everyone should just relax, say linguists . They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nunberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says, "Kids who are now doing text messaging and e-mail will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents." Linguist James Milroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become "corrupted", and that they simply change to meet the new needs. However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard English. Cynthia Mcvey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their future." Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun."

Now, provide a numbered list of answers to these questions:

1. Who received text as homework?
2. Where did that person teach?
3. Did the teacher understand?
4. What is texting language called?
5. Does it seem foreign?
6. Who thinks it's harmful?
7. What are they scared of?
8. Do kids write in diaries now?
9. Does Erin use Netspeak in homework?
10. How old is Erin?
1. A middle school teacher
2. England
3. no
4. Netspeak
5. Yes
6. Schoolteachers and parents
7. language being corrupted
8. Yes
9. no
10. 12