txtng

My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kds Bt my Ps wr so {:-/ BC o 9/11 tht they dcdd 2 stay in SCO & spnd 2wks up N. Up N, WUCIWUG -- 0. I ws vvv brd in MON. 0 bt baas & ^^^^^. AAR8, my Ps wr :-) -- they sd ICBW, & tht they wr ha-p 4 the pc&qt...IDTS!! I wntd 2 go hm ASAP, 2C my M8s again. 2day, I cam bk 2 skool. I feel v O:-) BC I hv dn all my hm wrk. Now its BAU...

The activity
Start off with a general warmer about mobile phones, texting, and so on—perhaps a questionnaire to be done individually and then discussed in pairs or small groups. This should be a popular topic with learners of all ages, so it should generate a fair bit of discussion. Once this stage has been done, introduce the story of the British schoolgirl and then hand out the composition (a handy translation is given at the end of this article). NOTE: It’s a fairly difficult text, with quite a few cultural references and other less tangible language, so you may want to edit it down into something more manageable for your learners.

They should be able to understand some of the words, and the feedback phase is a great opportunity to allow your learners to teach you a little bit about their world (and their language). At this time they can fill in the table collaboratively, perhaps on the board.

Draw the grid on the board and get learners to copy it and fill it in with whatever they can understand from the composition.

Follow-ups
There are plenty of possible follow-ups. You may want to try a re-write activity in which learners work in pairs to produce a short text in texting language, exchange texts with another pair, and then re-write it properly in correct English. Alternatively, you could try having your learners engage in texting conversations using Post-it notes on the class wall.

With higher-level (or more mature) students it might be worth trying a discussion about the suitability of this kind of language— looking, albeit lightly, at register and appropriacy in different forms of communication (SMS, email, etc.). This could also be run into an activity on telegraph or newspaper English in which learners have to expand “journalese” into complete sentences.  

Composition key: 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. But my parents were so worried because of September 11 that they decided we would stay in Scotland and spend two weeks up north. Up north, what you see is what you get—nothing. I was extremely bored in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but sheep and mountains. At any rate, my parents were happy—they said it could be worse, and that they were happy for the peace and quiet. I don't think so! I wanted to go home as soon as possible, to see my mates again. Today I came back to school. I feel very saintly because I have done all my homework. Now it's business as usual...

GGGGUK4GG: “A horse, a horse—my kingdom for a horse”, from Richard III (geegee is a child’s word for a horse in England; UK is the kingdom)
2b/-2b=?: “To be, or not to be? That is the question”, from Hamlet

© Copyright 2002 - 2003 iT's Magazines S.L.    All rights reserved.