Whenever I go to school, I overhear students’ conversations as they use phrases such as “on fleek” or “throwing shade.” Hearing this type of foreign language makes me cringe, and makes me believe that we as teenagers are becoming lazy with the English language. I sometimes think to myself “why can’t they just say ‘that looks nice’ or ‘he’s calling somebody out?” Then, I just come to the conclusion that they are “words” that were made up and become popular based on viral videos from social media. Using this lingo worries me to think that future generations will make up more words that no one will ever understand or decode. When will this ever stop?!?

Teenagers implementing this kind of language is a code for the plethora of people who do not understand what they are talking about. Communicating to adults in this manner would leave them in a state of confusion and they would not know what they are saying. To translate this, they have to either look on the Internet or talk to other students or teachers to know what kids are saying in the modern era. Some might even attempt to blend in with these kids and use this type of slang. When trying to obtain a professional job, kids are required to incorporate business-like language or they will not be taken seriously. It just doesn’t sound fitting whatsoever.

Even texting has become more difficult to understand. Texting is not your simple “omg” or “lol” anymore. Adolescents will now use any phrase and turn them into acronyms that they expect others to know automatically. Every time I text my friends on a group chat, they would always use abbreviations for random words or phrases that I do not understand. I would have to respond by asking them what it actually means and then wait ten minutes before I get an answer. When I text my friends, I use the whole word, so no one will ask me questions about what I am trying to say, and conversation continues without any interruptions.

With this in mind, these abbreviations make it harder for teachers to teach students how to write a textbook essay, or even form a coherent sentence. This is a bad habit that students need to fix, because writing to the equivalent of how they talk will greatly affect their writing skills. As a result, teachers have to spend more time focusing on the characteristics of essays, and teach their students how to write in a formal manner. If students were to take the time and stop taking shortcuts around the English language, they could become better and more creative writers.

Incorporating the English language and avoiding the abbreviations can go a long way when it comes to other people actually understanding what you are saying. They do not have to ask other people or go online to find out what a certain term or phrase means. Conversations can continue without having to interrupt the flow of the discussion. In an academic perspective, students can become better writers and communicators, and in return receive better scores on essays rather than writing in a casual manner. So please, do us all a favor. Choose your words correctly.