Last week I came across this article (admittedly from 2011) about the link between children texting and their spelling skills. I found it really interesting as I automatically assumed it would demonstrate that texting has a negative impact.
I have to confess that I have been called a grammar fascist in the past. My school (in Cape Town) made grammar a priority (in all subjects, not just English) and that influenced me very strongly. It made it easier for me to learn other languages later on, but it also means that I have to rein in my ‘red pen’ when I’m teaching as, while grammar obviously has its place (and a significant one at that), it’s not the only thing that matters.
It got me thinking though about how grammar is so important to some people, and not to others. Is it just a generation thing? is it a cultural thing? Is it just personal choice? I found this blog entry while I was thinking about it..
http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/20548/just-how-important-are-grammar-and-spelling
What do you think?