WTF R they thinkg?

[dani_christine 0]

New Zealand students may 'text-speak' in exams

POSTED: 7:14 a.m. EST, November 11, 2006

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand's high school students will be able to use "text-speak" -- the mobile phone text message language beloved of teenagers -- in national exams this year, officials said.

Text-speak, a second language for thousands of teens, uses abbreviated words and phrases such as "txt" for "text", "lol" for "laughing out loud" or "lots of love," and "CU" for "see you."

The move has already divided students and educators who fear it could damage the English language.

New Zealand's Qualifications Authority said Friday that it still strongly discourages students from using anything other than full English, but that credit will be given if the answer "clearly shows the required understanding," even if it contains text-speak.

The authority's deputy chief executive for qualifications, Bali Haque, said students should aim to make their answers as clear as possible.

Confident that those grading papers would understand answers written in text-speak, Haque stressed that in some exams, including English, text abbreviations would be penalized.

Post Primary Teachers' Association President Debbie Te Whaiti said the authority's move reflects the classroom situation.

Teachers would have concerns if text slang became acceptable in everyday written language in classrooms, she said.

Critics said the National Certificate of Educational Achievement or NCEA, the main qualification for high school students, would be degraded by the authority allowing text speak use in exams.

Internet blogger Phil Stevens was not amused by the announcement. "nzqa[New Zealand Qualifications Authority]: u mst b joking," Stevens wrote. "or r u smoking sumthg?"

source

[Mags 112]

Wave bye bye to sanity and the English language as we know it.

It's ALL downhill from here on...

[DeadPoolX 9]

I remember there was a push a few years back for Ebonics to be nationally taught in schools here in the United States. I wonder what happened to that. I suppose it just sort of fell by the wayside or something.

[aussiewench 9]

I remember there was a push a few years back for Ebonics to be nationally taught in schools here in the United States. I wonder what happened to that. I suppose it just sort of fell by the wayside or something.

Just like the metric system hu

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

text speak sucks. Most people don't seem to know how to use predictive text.

[Peikko 1,575]

Language is fluid, not a fixed thing. I may not be a fan of txtspk, but the way we speak evolves continually.

[rclouse 0]

OMG th1s 1s s0 k3wl!!!!1! LOL

[Alex+R 0]

Language is fluid, not a fixed thing. I may not be a fan of txtspk, but the way we speak evolves continually.

Ok, that's true, but textspeak is not an actual "dialect" (i.e. ebonics) and it doesn't stand alone. It's just a series of abbreviations.

Allowing students to write in textspeak is the most stupid-azz thing I've ever heard.

Maybe if the NZ education administration stopped trying to be "cool" they wouldn't be compromising their education standards.

[CarolineM 0]

sad.

Where Stewart is from the local paper has a "text to the editor" feature. It takes me an hour to just try to read what they have sent in.

Ugh. This is a sad day.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Language is fluid, not a fixed thing. I may not be a fan of txtspk, but the way we speak evolves continually.

Ok, that's true, but textspeak is not an actual "dialect" (i.e. ebonics) and it doesn't stand alone. It's just a series of abbreviations.

Allowing students to write in textspeak is the most stupid-azz thing I've ever heard.

Maybe if the NZ education administration stopped trying to be "cool" they wouldn't be compromising their education standards.

Maybe they will grade students who write answers in textspeak in textspeak. Instead of an F they will get OMGWTFLOLLLLLZ.

[Ban Hammer 14,396]

Language is fluid, not a fixed thing. I may not be a fan of txtspk, but the way we speak evolves continually.

Ok, that's true, but textspeak is not an actual "dialect" (i.e. ebonics) and it doesn't stand alone. It's just a series of abbreviations.

Allowing students to write in textspeak is the most stupid-azz thing I've ever heard.

Maybe if the NZ education administration stopped trying to be "cool" they wouldn't be compromising their education standards.

Maybe they will grade students who write answers in textspeak in textspeak. Instead of an F they will get OMGWTFLOLLLLLZ.

[Alex+R 0]

Maybe they will grade students who write answers in textspeak in textspeak. Instead of an F they will get OMGWTFLOLLLLLZ.

:lol:

[ChristinaM 0]

Apparently they've just decided to allow this in the UK too, so my dear mother was telling me.

On a related note, she tells me that there's been some publicity about the fact that employers are having to offer remedial reading and writing classes to university graduates. Now that pisses me off, because I (not being the holder of a degree) can't apply for a whole bunch of jobs which "require" a batchelors or equivalent, but I can read and write in coherent sentences. I guess the employers would rather hire someone with an expensive education than someone who is genuinely educated, and that's sad too.

[Peikko 1,575]

Go get a degree, it's not too late.

I don't think the ability to write 'nicely' is an indication of one's intelligence.

[mawilson 2,133]

I (not being the holder of a degree) can't apply for a whole bunch of jobs which "require" a batchelors or equivalent, but I can read and write in coherent sentences.

Bachelor's.

Batchelor's is a cup of soup