John Mcwhorter: The Dangers Of Texting Language

John McWhorter, an author and linguist, once said “Texting is very loose in its structure. No one thinks about capital letters or punctuation when one texts, but then again, do you think about those things when you talk?” McWhorter makes a vital point at the end of his quote. He states that people generally do not think about adhering to proper grammar rules when they talk, so naturally people do not consider utilizing them while texting, which is essentially talking in written form. As a result of people becoming adjusted to texting as they talk, in a loose, casual manner with little to no regard to strict, confining rules of proper speech, texting is no more of a threat to peoples’ grammar than everyday conversation is, and generations prior
to the young people now should have no abnormal concerns towards grammar. Texting has been proven by many researchers to not harm or even have a neutral effect on grammar, but surprisingly to help skills such as phonetic spelling. First, children are able to distinguish between when academic vocabulary and when texting vocabulary is appropriate to use. For example, a study by speech and language therapist Veenal Raval found children who text are able to “code-switch” between English and the English texting vernacular. “A British study published in the Journal of

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Computer Assisted Learning found a positive correlation between texting and literacy, concluding that texting was ‘actually driving the development of phonological awareness and reading skill in children’” (Scholastic).
Because children are capable of making that switch between the two languages and the majority of students can comprehend when they should use which language, teachers should feel little worry about texting language being used in academic work. Second, students’ texting habits are actually improving spelling skills. For instance, a study in the Australian Journal of Educational Development and Psychology showed texting improves spelling because it improves skills of being able to figure out how to spell words based on how they sound, or phonetically (Scholastic). Students’ spelling skills are not impacted negatively by texting language; rather, they are improved. Last, students are able to sense which audience they are writing for and adapt their word choice, grammar, and tone to appeal to the reader. For example, a study conducted by Andrea Lunsford “found that the students (in the study) were remarkably adept at what rhetoricians call kairos—assessing their audience and adapting their tone and technique to best get their point across” (Thompson). When students are writing for a casual audience, such as when they are texting, they will adapt their speech to appeal to their friends, whereas when they are composing an essay or paper for a teacher, they will use more formal language and a tone of voice appropriate for such work. It is true texting can cause consequences, such as injuries to the thumbs and lack of time spent with family, however the negative mental impact of this form of communication
has
Schwartz 3 been overly exaggerated and stigmatized and its good benefits overlooked almost completely. In conclusion, teachers and parents alike should express no concern towards the newest generation’s education being influenced by their social habits. Texting has been proven to increase literacy, because students are now reading and writing almost 24/7 outside of school, a phenomenon that wouldn’t have been comprehensible prior to the internet age. Texting has also taught children how to spell phonetically from use of abbreviations such as ur for your or you’re, w8 for wait, and 2 for to or too. Additionally, students can switch their tone and word choice for different audiences. Texting is a technology that will be present for many years to come, and older generations should understand their children and grandchildren are going to turn out just fine.