The Language of Text Messaging ReportThe Language of Text Messaging Texting had come around when the first cellular phones had been invented. It was originally designed for the deaf and hard of hearing people but has since grown to be an easier and cheaper way of contact than calling. The aim of texting is to be able to send quick and short messages to contacts. This is better achieved by shortening the English language which in turn created the language of texting. I believe that texting has affected phone users with their grammar and their habit to wirte proper words during examinations.
I will research whether text language is detrimental to the grammatical skills of youth culture, I will also ask whether the English language should evolve more and more towards texting language. For my last question I will report on other views in how text language i
...s portrayed. Is the text messaging language detrimental to the grammatical skills of youth culture? In an article titled “Texting Slang Aiding Chilren’s Language Skill” by Alexander Smith, researchers found that text messaging may actually be improving and not damaging young children’s spelling skills.Children were quizzed on their use of mobile phones and were asked to translate messages between standard English and text language, as well as complete tasks to reveal their English writing, reading and spelling abliities. Suprisingly, the children who were better at spelling and writing were those of which were texters. On the downside, English examiners have complained about the use of slang expressions in GCSEs.
Markers for the exams found that almost unforgivable basic errors were made by apparently bright pupils.According to Katherine Barber of
the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the fact that teens are developing new slang words is a good thing. “If the kids are picking up new words and new meanings then that means that they're playing with the language,” she says. Spelling mistakes and the slang words that develop from rapid-fast thumb texting mean that kids are thinking about words, spelling and meaning, and that teens are playing an active role in language development.According to canadian researches from the University of Toronto, teenagers, while using the messaging language, are in fact showing their mastery of both formal and informal language.
They are not losing touch of what they learn in English classes. Tagliamonte said the teens have demonstrated fluid mastery of the full spectrum of resources that is available to them. Most people and other typical parents believe that the development of improper language used in text messaging and instant messaging has resulted in adversely influencing the grammar of children.The language requires a certain place and time, and as long as kids understand that shorthand language stays in e-mails and chatting and academic language belongs in school, then hopefully all kids like me won’t be affected in their grammar by IM language. Should the english language evolve more and more towards the text messaging language? An article from the guardian website shows how the English spelling system can be unspeakably awful.
It explained that the word fish can be spelt as “Ghoti” depending on the way you look at it.The trick was that if you combined the phonetics from several different words “Ghoti” does, in fact, spell the word fish. The “GH” is taken from the word
enough ("F"). The “O” is taken from the word women ("I"). The “TI” is taken from the word inflation ("SH"). The Guardian article is partly a call to change the rules of English spelling so that words are spelt more phonetically, like Spanish, or Polish.
New research has found that children face 800 words by the age of 11 that hinder their reading because of the way they are spelt.The words have all been identified as problematic for reading, as opposed to writing, because of their ‘phonic unreliability’. There have been found that there are about 200 words that could be improved by simply dropping ‘surplus letters’ such as the ‘I’ in friend or the ‘u’ in shoulder. The English spelling system is a huge financial burden on schools and is to blame for poor literacy results compared with the rest of Europe.
If the English language were to follow the concept of losing a few of the pointless letters like the language of exting, the English spelling system would be much easier to learn. In my opinion the English spelling system should change for future generations. I believe that the texting language has the right concept in deleting pointless letters from words to make it easier to spell and quicker to write. What are other views in how text messaging language is portrayed? Alexander Smith, an author from an article on the Guardian, believes through his research that texting could actually be increasing the language skills of children in a fun yet educational way.He also states that so far, his research suggests that there is no evidence to link poor ability in Standard English
to those children who are sending text messages.
Sali Tagliamonte, a professor of linguistics and the Toronto University, had about the same positive things to say about text messaging, “these teenagers are showing us that they have a really good command of the English language, so much so that I was really blown away by how fluidly they operate. " Sali Tagliamonte also believes that the text messaging language is working positively rather than negatively of today’s education.On the other hand there can be a few views on how text messaging is bad, like people text while they’re driving or it might change their grammar on proper English, but personally I think that the positives out rule the negatives in text messaging. The text messaging language isn’t ruining the proper English language because English is an amalgam of languages. It’s bits of Latin and Norman and Greek and other bits and pieces. It's a language that's constantly evolving and changing and in flux.
Shakespeare invented words that survived his plays and became part of the lexicon. Sometimes, the add-on words fade out, others become permanent. Homer Simpson's "D'oh" is in Webster's Dictionary. Who would have thought that when the Simpsons started? People thought that Americans were ruining the proper English by simplifying it (color instead of colour, etc). Now, 'txt talk' is just another evolutionary cycle of what has been happening since the beginning of the English language. There may be a few complains on how text messaging can be ruining the English language.
The main reason would be that change might be confusing people, although that may be true I feel that it would be worth
it. Conclusion I started writing this essay thinking that text messaging is having a negative effect on the general population, but in conclusion I realise that the positives outweigh the negatives. Personally I don’t think that text messaging is ruining the proper English language or that it’s affecting kids’ education but from researching this topic I can now conclude that texting is a good thing, and not a bad thing.
