"Text-speak, the shorthand slang that some people employ when using electronic communications tools like text messages and e-mail, is winding its way into teens' schoolwork and formal writing, according to a recent Pew study. It's a new version of an age-old task for educators: teaching students the difference between slang and formal use of language.

A large number of teens feel that language more appropriately used in e-mails, text messaging and online postings has made its way into their school work, according to a new survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

About 50 percent of teenagers said they write something for school nearly every day. More than one-third reported having a written assignment several times a week. Most survey respondents, 73 percent, contend that using computers and text-based communications did not influence their formal writing. However, nearly two-thirds, 64 percent, admitted to including, often accidentally, the informal writing more commonly associated with electronic forms of communication."


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