Emily Kaibel-Moore
Youth today use ‘text talk’ or ‘chat-speak’ Text messaging – the exchange of a brief written message from a mobile phone to another Most predominant ‘texters’ are Gen Y and Z
Many popular abbreviations that are widely understood Autocorrect can discourage use Common abbreviations include: - replacing the beginning or ending of a word with a number (e.g. 2day, gr8) - Words or phrases shortened to acronyms (e.g. LOL, OMG, BTW) - Removal of conjunctions (e.g. “I’ll be home soon” becomes “home soon”
Words that have been around for centuries now have new meanings Text – a body of writing and a message being sent to someone Menu – a list of meals served at a restaurant and a list of options on a phone Contact – the act of touching something and a person whose number is saved onto the phone
Situation of person can determine the style of language they use Language choice can vary depending on who the message is being sent to The purpose of the message will influence language - e.g. a reminder sent to a parent could be “remember train tickets” whereas a new message would be “Could you please buy a train ticket on your way home tonight?” People with Smart phones are more likely to use full words than someone with a standard mobile phone
Language choices can reflect an individuals personality or relationship with the other person Message being sent to a friend would be different to one sent to a parent Person may want to be seen as cool by their mates but responsible by their parents Language choices are dictated by the identity they want to create for themselves
Capitalisation, punctuation and grammar have been swapped for a less stable style of writing Negatives: - may cause vocabulary of youth to shrink or not develop - contribute to youth having more trouble expressing themselves with extended vocabulary Positives: - students know when and when not to use casual and formal language - youth may have a more extended vocabulary from being able to switch between communication styles - speeds up writing skills by taking away the difficulties of the English language - can liberate people with learning difficulties communication skills - discreet - less expensive than voice calls
Andre, (2008) “Six Reasons to Use Text Messages Instead of Voice Calls” text-messages-instead-of-voice-calls/ (24 March 2012) Andre, (2008) “Six Reasons to Use Text Messages Instead of Voice Calls” text-messages-instead-of-voice-calls/ O’Neill, Nancy, “10 Reasons Why People Text Instead of Talk” people-text-instead-of-talk/ (24 March 2012) people-text-instead-of-talk/ Wikipedia, (26 March 2012) “Text messaging” (visited 27 March 2012) Moccia, Tom (20 October 2010) “Nielsen Documents Who Texts the Most” documents-who-texts-the-most/ (28 March 2012) documents-who-texts-the-most/ Pauze, Jeremy (15 February 2011) “Texting and its Effects on the English Language and on Childs Learning” its-effects-on-english.html (28 March 2012) its-effects-on-english.html (28