Texting Why All The Fuss

Kendelle Loring
Mr. Gover
English 101- 330
24 Sep 2014
Essay 2
Final Copy
Is Texting Language Really Appreciated?

In Texting: Why All the Fuss? By David Crystal, a chapter from Txting: The Gr8 Db8, he mentions, “Texting is just another variety of language, which has arisen as a result of a particular technology.” In the excerpt Crystal talks about the drawbacks and benefits of texting. His main focus in the text is how texting has influenced grammar in teenagers. But, are the teenagers really the only ones to blame in this situation? Is it the parents? Or maybe the teachers? Overall, everyone is at fault to the drawbacks, but the teenagers are responsible for the evolution of communication. Just because teenagers use abbreviations, or texting “language” does not make them illiterate, it is a type of language whose flexibility and convenience needs to be appreciated.
Crystal claims how texting has arisen in the technological world by showing how people use their phone frequently. The text mentions how Jan Van den Bulck, from Catholic University of Leuven says, “Among 16-year olds, the interference was greater: 20.8 percent were woken up at least once a week with their phones.” Also the chapter stated, “Half the employees said that they always respond immediately to a message.” Texting problems have also carried over into the outside world. Crystal stated, “Most employees reporting that they checked work-related text messages and emails even when at home or on holiday.” In the excerpt Crystal lists obvious benefits and drawbacks from the over-usage of cellphones and texting. He notes, “I believe any form of writing exercise is good for you.” David Crystal is saying, that even though cellphone users to use proper texting etiquette, any form of writing can only benefit you. “Another study concluded that texting actually helps the development on communication skills such as the ability to summarize and express oneself concisely,” quoted from David Crystal. Crystal also mentioned from the same study, “Texting motivates people to sharpen their diplomatic skills, for, as with all written activity, it allows more time to formulate thoughts and express them carefully.” There are not only benefits from texting; there are plenty of drawbacks involving distracting users, and health issues.
Texting has caused issues with time management, loss of sleep, and addiction. As mentioned, before a significant amount of teenagers are being woken up in the middle of the night by their cellphones going off. Ironically, there is a medical term for a text messaging injury known as “TMI”. TMI is also an abbreviation for “too much information,” which is commonly as texting dialect. In the text Crystal does mention, “Every time I talk to groups of teachers and examiners, I ask them whether they have encountered anything remotely similar. None of them ever has.” Crystal is referring to children and teenagers using “text language” in their schoolwork and essays. Crystal reports, “The concern over texting lingo has been greatly exaggerated; he s that on average, less than 10 percent of words in text messages are abbreviated.”
Personally, I am not a huge texting person. I’d rather have a face-to-face conversation; but I’m not going to sit here and say that I don’t text. If it’s just a casual conversation, I don’t mind texting but if it were an argument I’d rather have it be in person. Yelling at someone is easier than to take my anger out the keyboard on my phone. My experiences with texting and using my cellphone somewhat relate to the point David Crystal was trying to make. I do get rarely woken up by texts, I text while I am at work, but I do not use text language. Newer phones have autocorrect in their system, which means if you misspell a word the phone will fix the spelling error, as you are texting a message. It’s quite relevant, and more people should turn that on, especially from seeing the statistics from David Crystal’s chapter. I’ve been texting for about 10 years now, and it has not really changed my grammar if anything it has benefited it. When I was 10 I used text language and abbreviations, but that is because I didn’t really know what “proper grammar” was at that point. I have been disrupted from my daily schedule with my phone going off from time to time. Seeing how I am nine hours away from home, and my dad lives in Germany. I do get a lot of texts and calls when I am busy in class, or doing homework. Honestly, I don’t expect anything different; we’re all on different time schedules. Sleeping has not really been much a problem for me; I do sleep with my phone in my bed because it is my alarm clock in the morning. Keeping my phone in my bed has not been much of an issue for me. I make sure to keep my phone on silent so I don’t get disrupted. Texting has not really made me feel safe. I have been in two different car accidents, and the driver has been texting while driving. I have absolutely no respect for anyone who chooses to text and drive; it’s not just for your safety. I have absolutely no service anywhere I go, so if something bad were to happen I more then likely wouldn’t be able to call for help. Addiction to phones is possible; Crystal mentions how, “Priory clinics were reporting a sharp rise in “technology addiction.” I can proudly say, I am not addicted to my cell phone or texting; it’s more of a luxury rather than a necessity.
The issues with texting will constantly be an argument, no matter what age, or what profession is speaking their opinion. Crystal proves remarkable points, but there are ways to make an argument supporting the other side. I believe that David Crystals article was more informing than David Carr’s, “Keep Your Thumbs Still When I’m Talking To You.” Crystal shows downfalls and benefits on both sides to the debate of texting, and provides specific statistics, and quotes from other sources. Texting is just another variety of language, which has arisen as a result of a particular technology, but it is a type of language whose flexibility and convenience needs to be appreciated.

Work Cited
Crystal, David. “Texting: Why All the Fuss?” From Txting: The Gr8 Db8. Oxford: Oxford UP,
2008. Rpt. in Language Awareness. Paul Escholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark, eds. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2013. 359-73. Print.

Cited: Crystal, David. “Texting: Why All the Fuss?” From Txting: The Gr8 Db8. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Rpt. in Language Awareness. Paul Escholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark, eds. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2013. 359-73. Print.