Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 13
Posts 11 - 13

Tout fout le camp, même l’orthographe!

(It’s all falling apart, even spelling)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 28.5.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | language threat, spelling, texting, youth
Summary | The author states that she is having a hard time deciphering the new language of text messages. Young people don’t know how to write anymore. She references an essay “C’était mieux avant” (“It was better in the past”) that explains the phenomenon against the backdrop of nostalgia. The essay criticizes the idea that everything was better before. The author also claims that new technologies (Facebook, text messages, WhatsApp etc.) are in part responsible for reinventing language.
Image Description | N/A

La révolution numérique et nous

(The digital revolution and us)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | Le Temps
Date | 20.7.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, school
Summary | Our vision and perception of the world is not only influenced by our body and conscience; it is also strongly affected by our surroundings and the world we live in. Nowadays people perceive the world through screens, they buy, play, communicate, and have access to masses of information. What comes out of the digital world is virtual as opposed to real. It is a “possible real” that didn’t find its true form concretely. Today’s man is constantly interacting; he sees the world differently than our grandparents. Should schools follow this path or get way from it?
Image Description | N/A

Le langage sms, éternel accusé de tous les maux des mots

(Text message language, always blamed for the ills of the words)

Hyperlink

Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 30.8.2014
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | language threat, research/study, school, smartphone, texting, youth
Summary | Although we can now send unlimited texts on our smartphones using the spellcheck feature, text message language is still widely used, especially among the younger generation. Should we be worried about that? Researchers claim that we shouldn’t be worried; texting does not threaten the French language. According to a study, young students can make the difference between a text message and a written school assignment; they can adapt their language according to the medium. Although no study has demonstrated that text messages have any deleterious effect on spelling skills, more research is needed.
Image Description | N/A

Page 2 of 2
Back | Next