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My smmr hols wr CWOT．B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3：-@kids FTF．ILNY, its gr8．
Can you understand this sentence? If you can’t, don’t feel too bad：because the middle school teacher in England can’t understand it, either．This is Netspeak：the language of computerized communication found on the Internet or mobile phones．To newcomers, it can look like a foreign language．So, what is the meaning 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．
Teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language．A number of spelling and grammar mistakes can be seen in students’ writing．They think the language could become corrupted(面目全非的)．
Everyone should just relax, say the linguists(語言學家)．They believe Netspeak is in fact a good thing．David Crystal, a famous linguist, 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, another famous linguist, agrees．“People get better at writing by writing,” he says．“ If children often use text messages and write e-mails, they will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents．”
Another linguist James Milroy says, for centuries, it is believed that young people are harming the language．And you can bet(打賭)your bottom dollar that when today’s teenagers become tomorrow’s parents, they too will think this way．Milroy argues that language do not and cannot become “corrupted”, they simply change to meet the new needs．
However, Netspeak agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write correct English．Cynthia McVey says, “I can understand Netspeak worries teachers but that learning to write correct English is necessary for their future．
Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust(信任)anyway．Erin, aged 12, says, ”I wouldn’t use text language in my homework．Texting is just for fun．”
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