Video: Are Good Writing Skills A Thing of the Past?

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Have you ever received a text message with so many abbreviations that you simply couldn’t understand it? Well, some are starting to wonder if grammar and spelling are disappearing from the English language.

In the last two decades, the tech boom has changed the way we communicate. Writing letters, sending thank you cards and keeping a journal seem like things of the past. So we asked, are people forgetting how to properly write?

“I don’t think they forget. I think they just don’t think it’s as important as it was because with all the new ways to communicate and things, you don’t have to write out formal letters and use your writing skills as often as you would have,” says MSU student Mary Whittle.

Learning to write is one of the most important parts of a person’s education, but with all the new technology like Twitter, Facebook and text messaging, some say writing skills are diminishing.

“When you get on Facebook, everything’s a lot less formal and people have gotten really used to using abbreviations and things to express their opinions. So when they go to write in a formal class, they don’t have the skills they would’ve had to develop otherwise,” says Whittle.

MSU Student Jonathan Turner says many people simply don’t want to use the words they already know.

“I believe some people can’t separate texting from writing an essay. You know like they use the number 4 instead of the word four. I also believe that some people do not use the extended vocabulary they should use when writing an essay,” says Turner.

Devon Brenner is Dean of MSU’s Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education. She says though it may seem like language and writing skills are disappearing, but there is no need for concern.

“I don’t think we should be worried. I think our language is a changing and growing thing. The way that we use language changes and grows. Words that we used a hundred years ago, we don’t use anymore. That kind of flexibility is really important,” says Brenner.

So you can still tweet and text but you should also write an old-fashioned letter from time to time to keep your writing skills sharp.

Dean Brenner also says the department is focusing more on writing skills when training future teachers.