Text Messaging Its evolution, its impact, its dangers

! B4 OIC TTYL *$ BRB OMG UGTBK 10Q BRT OVA WC 182 ILY PLS X 4EAE LOL PPL IKR AKA MSG RUOK CYA ASAP NO1 SUP HRU ATM NP THX IDK Do you know any of these? Don’t forget, the old system of texting before smart phones. You had to press the number 7 four times to get the letter S. That was just 1 letter in the hunt-and-peck process of creating whole sentences.

What is it? Exchange of brief messages expressed in the shortest form possible to minimize distraction and maximize understanding

! B4 OIC TTYL *$ BRB OMG UGTBK 10Q BRT OVA WC 182 ILY PLS X 4EAE LOL PPL IKR AKA MSG RUOK CYA ASAP NO1 SUP HRU ATM NP THX IDK History: Ancient history Telegraphy First actual text sent in 1992 Originally for the hearing impaired

On An International Level Finland, Norway, Sweden Philippines US (13 January, 2009) reported that a thirteen year old girl from California had sent 14,528 text messages in one month, equally 484 text messages per day Average teenager between 13-17 years old sends approx.1,742 a months Increasing use of mobiles connections (4 billion) increases the use of text language

The US

The US

OMG LOL  Its Evolution and Impact: OMG, LOL – March 24, 2011 Often used by the younger generation Targeted towards the younger generation “Language of the new generation” Used in business, or more formal situations Male vs. Female Females often abbreviate more and use emoticons and write longer messages in comparison to males  

When is it used? For texting Evolved and stemmed into unusual spellings for baby names (individual baby names are often spelled up to 12 ways) In lesson plans, to spark student learning and curiosity Advertising

Can it be considered a language? Standard English vs. Texting Language: Linguists say there is no incorrect use of language with regard to dialects, grammatical structures, pronunciation, and spelling. There is merely a non-standard use of it.  

Standard English vs. Texting Language Grammatical correctness consisting of the appropriate use of the different types of nouns, pronouns, verbs and such Encompasses grammar, vocabulary, and spelling Evolved through a standardization process that consisted of four sections: selection, acceptance, elaboration, codification   Texting Language/ Non-standard English: A highly distinctive graphic style, full of abbreviations and deviant uses of language, used by a young generation that doesn't care about standards Incorrect use of standard and accepted rules of grammar Increasing use of abbreviations that are pronounced as words and function as words Increasing use of numbers Misspelling words deliberately

Why do people abbreviate? They find it amusing Its fast and efficient, speed up writing process

“Come quick” “Off of” “She was stood” “This man showed us” “More easier” Cast Studies: 82 % of all text messages have no capitalization at all. 11% had only the first letter of the text message capitalized, and only 7% used capital letters in names and at the beginning of follow-up sentences GCSE study: When 2,000 teenagers were asked to mark out non-standard English words or phrases: 41% realized that an adjective had been used in place of an adverb 25% failed to spot errors in phrases 1/5 failed to recognize that “more easier” was incorrect 1/10 failed to spot the use of double negatives in phrases

My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc Real-Life Scenario: 13 year old Scottish girl handed in an essay written entirely in text message language, stating that it was easier to understand than standard English “My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place.” My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc

Criticism: Concern with ruining the standard language, abbreviations a sign of literacy Concerned that students take the abbreviations into schools and therefore, the standard written language will decline It is not universal, those who don’t use it, can’t understand it Does not appeal to a large audience, people interpret them differently Use in schools: (give example) Children in the future will not be able to spell and distinguish the difference Emoticons used in essays Use of lower case letters: If students get so used to using lower case letters when they text it becomes a habit which can be difficult to change when they are required to write Standard English Simplicity of texting reflected in school work if students start to write incomplete sentences and almost exclusively use simple clauses  

Approval: The media enjoys using abbreviations for headlines, such as Brangelina, Bennifer, Posh and Becks The advertising industry caught on and frequently uses the acronyms and abbreviations of text-speak to catch the attention of younger audiences Younger generations see it merely as an extension of the English language, new vocabulary so-to-speak. In 2006, both New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Scottish Qualifications Authority have allowed text-speak to be acceptable in the end of year exams. Phone companies –generating money A way to communicate and express thoughts in a simplified manner –amongst teens and tweens

Dangers: It is possible that these less well-recognized non-standard English forms will find their way into standard English, especially given the view that teenagers are linguistic innovators who bring about change in standard dialect Texting: Original message is altered (autocorrect) No longer genuine Can cause problems Often inappropriate

When can we use text language?

TWIMC: txtN S d Nxt step n Evlutn. Mbrce it. When to use it? Individuals should be shown how to tailor their language use according to circumstance Close with language for every purpose