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« Harry Potter Not So Magical for Small Businesses | Main | Career Change: Is That a Bend or a Crossroads Up Ahead? »

July 23, 2007

Should Instant-Message Slang Be Used in the Workplace?

Because teens are on a never-ending quest to cut down on the amount of keystrokes, thus allowing them to send instant messages sooner and say what they want to say in less time, their chats consist of abbreviations, acronyms and poorly spelled words. So by the time today's teenagers reach the professional world, will everyone be speaking with the acronyms and abbreviations commonly used during instant-messenger conversations? Will these slang terms be considered acceptable?

Most definitely not. By the time the current generation of instant messengers have completed their high school and college educations, they will know very well that such slang is undesirable and intolerable in business communications, and it will be completely flushed out of their professional vocabulary. Some of this knowledge may come from witnessing coworkers' negative reactions to this language during internships and co-ops. As an intern at Monster, I am yet to observe any of my coworkers using slang in their formal communications or even their instant messages.

But the real issue is not so much that slang won't be accepted but that many teenagers only know this slang. As teens progress through school, these bad spelling habits are staying with them. Eleventh- and 12th-grade teachers are forced to teach elementary grammar and spelling, because they are receiving English papers from their students where "you" is spelled "u," "are" is spelled "r" and the incorrect homonym of a word is used all too often.

In my 12th-grade college-prep English class last year, we would spend 10 to 20 minutes going over common grammar, homonyms and spelling. Most of what was taught (or should I say retaught) I already knew. However, I did notice the students who spent a majority of their free time on IM struggled to grasp these "new" grammar concepts and unheard-of homonyms.

So while instant messaging can help us communicate, let's remember to keep its associated slang and abbreviations where it belongs: On the home computer.

For more on this subject, check out these resources:

 

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Posted by Dan on July 23, 2007 at 12:57 PM in The Daily Grind | Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)

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This is a pet peeve of mine as well. I think we need something like the french language does where they have language cops that determine what is acceptable each year. As a result, the french take a lot of pride in their language.

Posted by: Rebecca Thorman | Jul 23, 2007 3:18:51 PM

NO!! "First among the evidences of an education I name correctness and precision in the use of the mother tongue"

Spoken by Oliver Wendel Holmes, it was true then and it is true now. The inability of college graduates to write clearly, concisely, and correctly is indicative of the dumbing down, malaise and lack of scholarly discipline found in our universities. There is no excuse for a person holding a four year degree to fumble around in speech or with pen.

I suppose a lot of this can be blamed on our fast paced culture,
communicating via email and a preference for visual entertainment instead of reading for entertainment. Well, there are always excuses! No, I am not an old f**t, unless you think 35 is old. Just lucky and blessed enough to have parents who cared and teachers learned and proficient in their professions.

Posted by: Roger Moskey | Jul 30, 2007 7:10:06 PM

"..let's remember to keep its associated slang and abbreviations where it belongs: On the home computer."

Actually let's keep this where it truly belongs - on cell phones! Cell phones have (generally) 10 keys to type with, so while I can't condone shortening you to u it is tolerable. However, at home on your computer you have a full keyboard. There is no excuse to shorten words like this except for laziness. Frankly all it shows is how illiterate you are.

Posted by: Jadin Hanson | Jul 31, 2007 11:48:36 AM

Lets not forget Spell check and gramer check is on the rise. The need for the perfection has given us a lack of strength in our own schooling. How many Cashiers can't add or subtract.

Using these abbreviations Are in fact a spin off of many professional fields: Medical uses them in almost all of there documention to describe treatments recived, Place of consern/treatment/observation. Even prescriptions all to save paper and keep the outsiders form causing trouble. The Stock even us simbles and abbreviations to make reading faster. The airports use them to describe locations on G.P.S. screens and direct air triffic better. The Armed Forces more than like was the first to use them. Think of the radio transmitions used by Police, Truckers and copyed by Civilians from and in movies. If you ask me. We may have Spelling and Gramer promblems but it is in other place besides over texting. It is plan lack of disipline in self preservation and over use of technolegy in all areas of life.
The Kids are just doing what we do ever day of are lifes. Try to do more faster.

Posted by: Larry | Jul 31, 2007 4:33:13 PM

I both agree and disagree with a lot of this. I think that 'AIM talk' is becoming more and more common among both teens and many adults. While I do not think it will ever be acceptable in 'formal communication', I believe that it is already accepted in many areas as common speech. I have heard many of my colleagues stating 'brb' and 'bbl' as well as many other 'AIM shortcuts'. As Jadin said, these 'shortcuts' were intended for cell phones; however they have taken over in many areas.
I do agree that many of these have led to atrocious comprehensions of grammar and spelling. While I may not be 'English major' material, I feel that I have a good handle on the oral and written forms. I also have a serious pet peeve when I see formal/legal documents that have "type-o's" and grammar errors in them!

Posted by: M. Kinder | Jul 31, 2007 10:38:50 PM

Maybe it's because I'm in the creative industry, but I see a lot of slang and even smiley faces in supposedly professional correspondence from the CEO on down in companies. Unlike more "standard slang," I hear less of the new breed than I see, which especially bothers me as a writer and editor.

For a job interview, I was once written "Bring N UR rez 2day." That one took me a few seconds to decipher.

Like all living language bumps, however, I expect this trend will either take off and become formalized with rules or simply die.

Posted by: Stanford Griffith | Jul 31, 2007 11:56:03 PM

"Because teens are on a never-ending quest to cut down on the amount of keystrokes, thus allowing them to send instant messages sooner and say what they want to say in less time, their chats consist of abbreviations, acronyms and poorly spelled words. So by the time today's teenagers reach the professional world, will everyone be speaking with the acronyms and abbreviations commonly used during instant-messenger conversations? Will these slang terms be considered acceptable?

Most definitely not."

First, you repeat "teen" and "teenager" too closely in the paragraph; varying your diction would help with the flow of your writing. "Most definitely not" is phrase; use proper punctuation to combine with surrounding sentences.

"By the time the current generation of instant messengers have completed their high school and college educations, they will know very well that such slang is undesirable and intolerable in business communications, and it will be completely flushed out of their professional vocabulary."

"Such" is extraneous; "flushed out" should be replaced with a more precise verb choice.

"As an intern at Monster, I am yet to observe any of my coworkers using slang in their formal communications or even their instant messages."

How did this sentence make it through a grammar review?

"As teens progress through school, these bad spelling habits are staying with them. Eleventh- and 12th-grade teachers are forced to teach elementary grammar and spelling, because they are receiving English papers from their students where "you" is spelled "u," "are" is spelled "r" and the incorrect homonym of a word is used all too often."

Please avoid using the verb "is" ad nauseum.

"In my 12th-grade college-prep English class last year, we would spend 10 to 20 minutes going over common grammar, homonyms and spelling. Most of what was taught (or should I say retaught) I already knew."

Why is the past progressive tense used here? It makes your writing style seem weak; use the past tense, and avoid passive voice.

Good luck.

Posted by: Sally | Aug 1, 2007 4:10:24 AM

Many parts of language start as slang.

I too see IM slang in the workplace and have no problem with it.

I find the holier-than-thou tone of the original post kind-of humorous.

Are you saying that when people IM at Monster they don't say BRB and TTYL?

What do they say? "I will see you in a while?" That seems like an inefficient waste of time in workplace.

The internet has caused a lot of shifts in the way we use language. (Think "Google" and "Monster"). If this is such a concern, why did you call your company Monster, and not "Internet Job Search"?

Posted by: jason osder | Aug 1, 2007 6:25:29 AM

Obviously, older adults still think that teenagers stupid and are still trying to be cool. I always use these abbreviations and acronyms when I'm messaging online; but thats it, only online. In the professional world, I always surprise people that I take my job seriously and that I'm so young (I'm a sub-contractor for Dell) So next time employers see a 19 year old walk into your office, don't judge; they are not going to tell you "lol i couldnt find teh office"

Posted by: Guillermo | Aug 1, 2007 10:38:53 AM

It's hard to fault universities or colleges for the lack of language proficiency of our children when the school system and their parents fail to instill good habits at an early age.

My parents aren't super-educated (my father got his A.A. after dropping out of high school and my mother only took a few college classes after getting her high school diploma), but they rode my rear end if I didn't do my homework. I can think of a lot of times when my mother would read my papers and critique them (one of the few classes she took in college was English). And it wasn't just "that's nice, dear." She'd tell me if one of my transitions was awkward.

I learned from school and from early jobs what was appropriate for the workplace and what wasn't. Then again, I didn't get into the Internet until I was almost 22. I'm 34 now. I know a lot of the slang being used, but I'm loath to use it.

Posted by: Mike | Aug 1, 2007 10:57:11 AM

IM slang is a great way to save time and say more with less. It is appropriate on any IM device and text messaging. My bosses definitely do not expect that I type in a formal manner on IM.

Posted by: Renee | Aug 1, 2007 11:15:11 AM

I completely disagree. I am already seeing (and using) these abbreviations in my email correspondence. Understand that I am not suggesting that we will see formal communications in the form of "r u ready 2 go?" Are any of you aware that the W3 is currently developing a standard for emoticons? :O One limitation (and I would suggest grave danger) of email is the difficulty in delivering the intended "tone". Emoticons are actually helpful in setting the proper/intended context of a message.

As for shortcuts, I frankly think it is elitist, hypocritical and myopic to suggest that using abbreviations is equivalent to laziness. There are many abbreviations accepted in formal communication (e.g. "e.g.", "re", "i.e.", "a.k.a.") and I see no harm in adding a few more.

Furthermore, the very use of some of these abbreviations sometimes conveys a nuanced difference from their literal translation. I'll give you an example. If I received an email that simply read "I will be right back." (notice the absence of the verb contraction so as to avoid being called lazy) versus "brb", I would infer that the latter email represented a more rushed situation and also the person would likely be back sooner. This is quite simply how and why colloquialisms exist; they fill gaps in communication that formal speech presents.

To quote Saturday Night Live, "Hear me now, believe me later"... this wave is coming, so you'll either be swimming with it or swallowed by it. BTW (and FWIW), if you are a n00b, then you probably think this post is FUBAR and that I have my HUB, but that's OK BCOS TTTT and you might want to GA and DYOR WYHAM, IMNSHO, as otherwise YBS. ;)

Posted by: Jon DiPietro | Aug 1, 2007 11:36:17 AM

I'm currently taking a 7-week summer history class at the community college near my home. After the first essay test was returned, we spent nearly a half hour going over basic spelling and grammar, which I found rather surprising and disheartening.

Posted by: Candi | Aug 1, 2007 2:23:50 PM

I think the idea that there is some so-called "correct" way to express meaning in writing, i.e. English grammar, is a backward technology. The internet, the x generation, hollywood, more, are all speeding life up to the point where we might be able to understand that if we can understand the intended meaning, then the sentence is well put.

Don't forget, someone one rainy day a long time ago sat back and decided to put down the rules in print for an English language that had til then continuously evolved. The magic of life is evolution. So too it is with language. The French have it right. Let there be modifications to English as well.

Posted by: makalvy | Aug 1, 2007 4:49:17 PM

I'm not sure how many of you actually interact with teenagers but most of us don't actually talk that way - unless we're joking. Terms like "lol" and "brb" are almost as difficult to say as their long-hand forms, so I don't think you need to worry about them being used in verbal conversation. If your fear is aimed towards written communication, you will find it encouraging to know that no high school or college teacher would allow the use of such acronyms in formal writing, mainly because it is not useful to say "lol" or "brb" in an essay. Lastly, some members of the older generation need to lighten up about email etiquette. Remember that for the most part, email is meant to be a form of communication, and if the point comes across, whether in a shortened or long-hand form. If what you are writing is truly formal, it should probably be sent in a different manner, ie. a Word document or a printed letter. By the way, email is an abbreviation as well.

Posted by: Anne | Aug 1, 2007 7:17:56 PM

renee i'm lost after BTW, what does all that jibberish mean ?

Posted by: mac69 | Aug 1, 2007 7:18:56 PM

I have had a number of interns using this slang in emails. Even when these are internal correspondences, it just unhinges me. Yet, I also have to note, that there are degreed (BS and Masters) employees who cannot spell, and are obviously not getting the concept of spell check and underlined words in their documnents. Where did "reading, writing, 'rithmatic" go?

Posted by: NAS | Aug 2, 2007 12:21:49 AM

R U kidding me? These idiot kids don't even no the diff between possessive pronouns and contractions NE more.


Posted by: old | Aug 2, 2007 12:53:17 AM

I have encountered the 'i', 'u' and 'r' phenomenon in personal emails from acquaintenances and have been free to discard them because I believe if an adult doesn't know or want to use grammar, a larger problem exists.

Posted by: Robin A. Albright, MS | Aug 2, 2007 8:34:43 AM

Our country has become so incredibly dumbed down by cell phones, ipods, iphones, text messaging, blackberrys, Uboob, TV and the like that its inevitable that slang and misspelled words will become commonplace in the working world. Its already begun in the media and newspapers. I notice it more frequently every month. Our president sets the tone by not being able to speak certain words or pronounce names of people, and that is acceptable. Our schools and educators won't enforce anything and even if they did, the moronic parents would complain that their children are being "traumatized" and treated unfairly. I'm frightened what our future will look like in even 5 more years.

Posted by: Dean Pallozzi | Aug 3, 2007 3:14:10 PM

Dean - Yes, I agree that our country has become "dumbed down", but using abbreviations is not to blame. Incidentally, "Its already..." should have been spelled "It's already..."

And for Mac69, here's the translation of my earlier post:
BTW (and FWIW), if you are a n00b, then you probably think this post is FUBAR and that I have my HUB, but that's OK BCOS TTTT and you might want to GA and DYOR WYHAM, IMNSHO, as otherwise YBS.
By the way (and for what it's worth), if you are a "newbie", then you probably think this post is fouled up beyond all recognition and that I have my head up my b*&#, that that's OK because these things take time and you might want to go ahead and do your own homework when you have a minute, in my not so humble opinion, as otherwise you'll be sorry.

Posted by: Jon DiPietro | Aug 6, 2007 8:22:57 AM

Wow that was really enlightening. Thanks for the translations, I was thinking do people even use this? I guess they do. I am clearly out of the loop - and not even 25! Of course I am familiar with some of this stuff and I do think some of it will be incorporated into the common world. Language, as a rule, changes. And some things stick, some don't. ASAP is a great example.
As far as medical abbreviations - they aren't slang. They are very specific abbreviations, most of which are LATIN. Nurses are required to use these abbreviations. This ensures that there is not possible mistake in meaning. When someone's chart says NPO you know what it means. You don't ask yourself if they can have jello or if clear liquids are okay, They are NPO (this is one of those latin abbreviations, translation: nothing by mouth). It keeps things straight.
Sorry about the little medical rant, that one hurt me, I had to comment.
As far as schools go. Yes they are dumbed down. But the problem can't be placed entirely on schools. Children don't learn in school. They learn at home, which means parents have to teach them. School facilitates, or should. But U.S. doesn't put a lot of money into school. I am not bashing, I like this country and I am very glad to be American but we don't spend our money on schools. The standards get lower and lower. Slang isn't causing this, slang is a result (in part, but there always has been and always will be slang, thats how the language evolves).
Business professionals who want to get ahead, will be professional. It will take more than one generation of teenagers to change the standard. Professional communications require clear concise language because it is important to effective communication. You also have to be aware of the impression you make, particularly since many businesses deal with other countries. Children are only as stupid as we allow them to be. If we let them think that "u" is the proper way to spell "you" they will. If we tell them otherwise and make sure they know it they will. They have the capacity. We just have to make them use it.

Posted by: Bri | Aug 6, 2007 1:07:45 PM

Is IM slang appropriate in the workplace?
Certainly not. IM slang has no place in business correspondence. It's unprofessional, juvenile, and an insult to everyone's intelligence. It tells your co-workers- and bosses- that you are lazy, ill mannered, and poorly educated. In other words:not promotion material.

There's an old aphorism that goes: "If you walk with a cripple, you'll develop a limp."

Don't let's limp.


And, contrary to Renee's prophesy, there is no "wave." That rushing sound you hear is the dumbing of America.

Posted by: CZ | Aug 8, 2007 12:14:00 AM

The issue isn't that employees, young or old, are using IM abbreviations. It's that they are choosing to use them in inappropriate situations. Most business correspondence, even e-mails and instant messages, become part of the businesses' official records. Many businesses, government instutions and industries forbid the use of IM, facebook, blogging, et cetera, on company time, equipment or other computer resources. There are legitimate and valid reasons why business communication should be clear, comprehensible and precise.

Slang and its cousin, IM speak, are rather more prone to mis-interpretation than clarity. If I have to defend my work in a court of law or see it become part of some future litigation, I want to be sure that what I wrote is exactly what I meant to write.

Posted by: Cath | Nov 14, 2007 5:25:16 PM

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