Technology has evolved to become more advanced now compared to how it was in the past. In the past, one was not able to “text” one another because of the lack of technology, however, texting is now the way the younger generations verbally communicate with one another. There could still be more ways to improve technology in the near future. With many more improvements to come, there is still room for improvement of texting. Texting is not killing language, but instead is starting the development its own language.
John McWhorter, a linguist, conducted a TED talk “Txting is Killing Language. JK!!!,” on February 13th, in which he disagrees with the idea that “texting spells out the decline and fall of any kind of serious literacy, or at least
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He emphasizes the fact that speech and language are the same thing when it comes to casual communication. Writing then comes along after speech as an “artifice,” (Txting is Killing Language JK!!! 1:49). However, writing does have its own advantages as well. An advantage of writing is that one can look backwards on writing. In the older era, McWhorter brings up the idea of when one made a speech, it was common for one to speak like how one writes. For example, when one makes a speech and says “Ladies and Gentleman,” (Txting is Killing Language. JK!!!, 3:41) one would then speak in an unusual tone to get the attention of whom one is speaking to. In addition, he also states that when one speaks casually in an “unmonitored way,” one usually speaks in packets of 7 to 10 words (Txting is Killing Language JK!!! 2:42). By providing this information, it makes the audience actually consider the information provided because they are facts that have been proven. He gets this information from studies that have been done by linguists themselves. He asks the question “What if we could write like how we speak?” in which he suggests that texting is what that is. Even though texting involves the mechanics of writing, texting itself is not writing, according to McWhorter. Instead it leads to the idea of texting to be known as “fingered …show more content…
One does not worry about capital letters or punctuation when one texts, neither in our way of speaking to one another. In other words, the younger generations are “writing like how they speak". He provides an example of a term used by the younger generation, “LOL.” This example consists of a conversation that was done by a non-male of about 20 years old, on the usage of the term “LOL”. The term itself stands for “laughing out loud,” in which was used to indicate one to be actually “laughing out loud”. However, for the younger generations it has now evolved into being used as a marker of “empathy,” and “accommodation.” He compares it to terms used by the Japanese “ne,” and by African American youths “yo,” in which these terms are examples of pragmatic particles. The term “LOL,” has become a way of using the language between actual people which is why he informs the audience that it has become a pragmatic particle. By doing so, the younger generations have created a community between themselves in which they are technically speaking their own new language that only they can understand. This new language is something that they have in common in this
1. The main point Kirk Johnson, writer of “Today’s Kids Are, Like, Killing the English Language” published by the New York Times, illustrates is a shift in the way society nowadays communicates and expresses themselves with the emergence of technology and other forms of media in this new era compared to the precedent and placid century.
A few years back, there was some concern over the fact that texting may be affecting the writing composition of teenagers. John McWhorter from Times Magazine wrote, “Is Texting Killing the English Language” on this very phenomenon, with the rhetorical aim to persuade people that this wasn’t the case. In the article, McWhorter refers to historical texts to persuade his audience, middle-aged
Three years ago, linguist John McWhorter spoke at a Ted Talk conference about whether texting is killing language and went so far as to question the definition of language itself. His video, “John McWhorter: Txtng is killing language. JK!!!” distinguished to the reader the difference between writing and speaking and how texting was one in the form of another. Texting, he said, is a way of writing as one speaks, or specifically fingered speech, rather than as many believe, a mutilated version of the English language. According to McWhorter, texting is becoming a second language for many people, and those who do text are actually, in a sense, being bilingual. Texting itself is not very different from a foreign language, other than for its strong
Numerous studies have shown how texting can actually improve our literacy skills. In the article “2b or Not 2b” by David Crystal, he believes that is a new form of communication and will not harm our language in any way. He states that a study has proven people who use a lot of abbreviations in their text messages tend to score higher on reading and vocabulary test. According to David Crystal, to be able to write well the first thing you have to know is how letters relate to sounds throughout each language.
The constant changing of technology and social norms makes difficult for different generations to understand one another and fully relate to each other. Diction and slang change as years pass and what is socially acceptable may have been prohibited in the previous generations.
...emic world you’re going to take with you in the real world and if learning these bad/ uneducated habits is what you learn in school then that translates into your work/personal life. Slowly but surely, you’ll end up wishing you had never ever used improper English in school. As John Humphrys stresses, “Now I find myself slipping into sloppy habits, abandoning capitol letters and using row of dots” (Humphrys, 75). What Humphrys is trying to get across is texting in these short abbreviated words it made him slip into the bad habit of not caring about the simplest of things in a sentence such as capital letters or even completed it since the row of dots is equivalent to that.
In the course of this class, we have discussed the differences between spoken and written language. And it has been generally agreed upon that spoken language is easier than written language. Yet, we seem to have agreed that it is necessary to have a strong grasp of spoken language before learning to write. This is the natural progression for children. They learn to talk first and then we move on to teaching them how to write. Keep this idea in mind. And I agree that spoken language is easier, in a conversational manner. We speak to our ...
Texting is a newer, shorter and very convenient method of sending messages back and forth between users on a cell phone. It is similar to email, but often using shorter messages to carry on a conversation between two or more people. Texting is fast and easy,
“Our generation doesn't ring the doorbell. They text or call to say they're outside,” this line is from one of the well-known social networks, Tweeter, which shows how the way of communication has change in this modern life. According to 2013 statistics by Business Insider, in United States alone, smartphone owners aged 18 to 24 send 2,022 texts per month on average — 67 texts on a daily basis — and receive another 1,831 texts (Cocotas). Nowadays, technology such as text messaging has practically replaced traditional face to face communication among the society primarily in young generations because texting allows messages to be sent fast and effortless. In order to quickly type what they are trying to say in text messaging, people are frequently using textspeak; the language created by using abbreviation rather than complete words. Based on this phenomenon, David Crystal, an honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales has published an article entitled ‘2b or not 2b?’ in the Guardian on July 5, 2008 comes out with the research and studies that state texting can actually improve the literacy of children and create creativity of writing. However, by observing more critically, texting do decrease a person’s ability to switch between textspeak and the normal rules of grammar and adversely affect formal writing and conversational skills.
In the article, “Does Texting Affect Writing?”, the author Michaela Cullington conveys her speculation that texting does not correlate to how students write formal essays. At the beginning of the article Cullington introduces the term texting and the convenience texting brings. Later expressing her concern that the texting language “Textspeak” is actually affecting students writing; then contradicts these views by using primary and secondary sources (news articles, books, her own surveys and research). In addition, she uses an anecdote to tell of her own experience with texting and writing. Together with other evidences and research put together, she uncovers the debate between textspeak and formal writing. On the basis of her research, she concludes that the state of texting does not interfere with writing or writing abilities.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, it is reported, "25% of high school seniors are proficient writers" (Cullington, 362). Jacquie Ream, a former teacher and author for K.I.S.S. expands on this statistic by stating, "we have a whole generation being raised without communication" (Cullington, 362). By this, Ream means that we as people are not physically socializing with each other, but yet using devices to replace the way we talk and express our feelings to one another instead. Ream then goes on to blame the use of acronyms and shorthand in text messages as the downfall of writing skills. Here, Ream means that because of lack of proper language we have become careless when writing. Naomi Baron, a professor at American University, states that America as a whole has become sloppy with the mechanics of writing due to texting. Both teachers in Michaela's article agree that the essence of texting is responsible for the oversight of punctuation, lack of emotion, and lastly a rise in grammatical errors in formal
Text messaging has become a norm in our generation, as technology rapidly advances and gives way to more efficient forms of communication in a fast-paced world; and many are skeptical about the influence this new form of interaction is having on our society, especially with our younger generation. David Crystal, a professor at the University of Wales, writes “2b or Not 2b?” in support of text messaging. He insists, despite those who underestimate or negate the beneficial influence text messaging has on language proficiency, that “there is increasing evidence that [texting] helps rather than hinders literacy” and that the fairly recent form of communication has actually been around for a while and “is merely the latest manifestation of the human ability to be linguistically creative and to adopt language to suit the demands of diverse settings. In contrast, Jeffery Kluger argues in “We Never Talk Anymore: The Problem with Text Messaging” that text messaging is rapidly becoming a substitute for more genuine forms of communication and is resulting in difficulty among young peoples of our generation to hold a face-to-face conversation, engage in significant nonverbal expression, and ultimately build effective relationships with family, friends and co-workers. Both writers’ present valid arguments, however, my personal experience with text messaging has led me to agree more with Crystal’s view on the matter. Text messaging is indeed having a positive effect on society by making frequent texters primarily aware of the need to be understood, as well as offering betterment of spelling and writing through practice, and reinventing and expanding on a bygone dimension of our language through the use of rebuses and abbreviations.
Drouin, M., & Davis, C. (2009). R U Txting? Is the Use of Text Speak Hurting Your Literacy?. Journal of Literacy Research, 44(1), 46-67. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?q=texting+spelling+grammar&id=EJ862013
Step onto any college campus and take a look around. You will find clumps of students standing around in circles, phones in hand, typing away. What is it they are doing? Texting. Ever since the first text message was sent in 1993, the use of text messaging as a means of communication has spread like wild fire, especially amongst the adolescent generation. And with this new form of communication a new language has appeared; text-speak, the shortening of common words into abbreviations and acronyms (Drouin 49). While texting and the text-speak language seem to have been welcomed by many, what affect is this new technology having on the way we communicate? Is it possible that texting is negatively affecting our ability to use formal written communication, or is this idea just a myth perpetuated by negative media attention? And what changes has texting brought to the way we communicate person-to person? Are these changes positive, negative, or perhaps a mixture of both?
Language is a form of verbal communication via words and its pronunciation that is used and comprehended by various people of the same nation, culture, or geographical background. It has been said to be dated back as far as one thousand years ago before writing. Like culture, language is passed on through the process of enculturation. Meaning that it is something that is learned (Kottak, 101). In the video, “TED TALK: Texting is killing language,” Ted starts off the video by saying that “The idea is that texting spells the decline and fall of any kind of serious literacy, or at least writing ability, among young people in the United States and now the whole world today (Ted, 2013). Throughout the film discussion, what stuck out to me the most was how drastic language has changed via technology. Although Ted disagrees with the above statement, in my opinion, I believe that a language can be altered if it is changed by enough speakers and writers. With the constant use of various forms of technology, communication via texting has become a very popular leisure activity for people all o...