Some students, especially those in the senior high schools (SHSs) who have joined the craze of using telegraphic style (abbreviating words) in communicating on the social media platform including whatsapp, facebook, twitter and instagram say they cannot stop the use of informal expressions when chatting with friends.
According to the students, the use of such informal expressions makes it convenient for them to send messages faster, thereby saving precious time to engage in academic activities such as reading.
In the telegraphic era where the practice was replicated, the style was used to minimise costs by conveying messages at little cost. At that time, the relevant companies charged according to the number of words contained in a message.
However, the present generation of young Ghanaians seems to have adopted the practice, which is widespread among students. For instance, they choose to abbreviate words and use dat for that; d for the; 4gttn for forgotten; wht for what; nd for and; dis for this; arnd for around; si/ci for see; y for why; hw for how; hv for have; u for you; kk for okay; abt for about and lol for laughing out loud.
In separate interviews with the Junior Graphic, the SHS students said although they could not stop using those abbreviated words, they were mindful of their usage during formal interactions like writing an examination or attending interviews.
One student, Master James Gyatru of the Kaneshie Senior High Technical School, said the shortening of the words did not affect him since that made it easier for him to communicate with his friends.
Moreover, he said, the shortened words made students type very fast when they were on the social media platform.
Master Yaw Amponsah Baah of the St. Thomas Aquinas SHS said the problem with those shortened words was their usage during examinations.
“Once in a while when I am writing an essay, such expressions pop up but I cancel them fast and use the correct words,” he said.
Nana Owusu Koomson of the St. Augustine’s College said the use of those words did not affect him as he knew when and where to use them.
Maame Nhyira Asante said although she used such coded words very often during informal conversations, they did not affect her grammar.
“It saves time and space and we cannot stop because there is no time to waste,” she said.
An English Language and Literature Tutor at Accra Academy, Mrs Grace Moncar, told the Junior Graphic that the shortening of words and the use of Pidgin English had become part of the students lives since they could not do without using those words.
“They use the expressions almost everywhere, and you know it is an informal language but they find themselves using it in the formal environment when they are writing essays and answering examination questions,” she said.
Mrs Moncar said occasionally she came across some of those words when marking the scripts of students, “and what I did was to take note of the words and caution the students about their usage.
“They can use it informally but not in the formal environment (sentences, essays, compositions and letters) so that when they are writing they do not use them in the formal environment,” she said.
Mrs Moncar suggested that SHS students should minimise the use of the abbreviated words and Pidgin English because the more they use these words the more their grammar suffered.
“That is our focus to help them streamline the use of Pidgin English and informal expressions in their conversations.
“It makes interaction very simple and full of style. It adds some ‘swag’ to them because they consider it to be in vogue,” she said.
