Are smses affecting kids' reading skills?

Irish Sun (IANS) Saturday 18th February, 2012

Text messaging could be stunting children's reading skills, a Canadian study has revealed.

A study of students at the University of Calgary in Canada showed that those who texted more were less receptive to new words while those who read more books, magazines, and newspapers were more accepting of the same words, the Daily Express reported.

"Our assumption about text messaging is that it encourages unconstrained language, but the study found this to be a myth," said Joan Lee, the report's author.

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grammarians. want to fix water, freeze it the spot. language is water, it flows. texters show higher imaginative prediction rates regarding contractions and vowel rplcmt. they don't learn new words because they're glossing, they're inferring the mean from the context on the fly. we need to teach better logic and discrimination skills, but teachers are still on the rule based phase. can't even see these texters own their language and make it what they will. just another form of elite control, another way they can throw you out if they feel like it- does the candidate's language strictly conform to the norms the rule followers have set up?

mr_falbo - 1 year ago

Of course text messaging is ruining children's reading skills..this isn't news and for someone to say it out loud...Duh...no **** sherlock..but our language is evolving just as it always has...we no longer speak in Old English terminology..and just like back then our language will evolve..no one likes it..but it is the way it has always been..Change is hard to take..but it is a fact of life.

kubbingj - 1 year ago

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