Twob Or Not 2b David Crystal Summary
As stated in the article, “2b or Not 2b” by David Crystal, some people believe that texting is not a natural form of communication and that it is wrecking our language. Although some people may agree with this idea, studies have challenged this opinion. Rather than fearing the consequences of texting, people should embrace this evolution and understand that this new form of communication may actually have benefits on literacy. This author once stated, “there is no evidence that texting teaches people to spell badly: rather, research shows that those kids who text frequently are more likely to be the most literate and the best spellers, because you have to know how to manipulate language.” The moral panic created by this form of socialization should be diminished, as people have the power and ability to shape our future. In a newspaper article, John Humphrys once argued that texters are “vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbors 800 years ago. They are destroying it: pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. And they must be stopped” (335). Many people agree with this idea, and believe that texting is ruining the English language. This “digital virus” has resulted in consequences including dyslexia, poor spelling, mental laziness, and a mask for the penmanship of illiterates.
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Those who believe that texting is not a natural form of communication due to the lack of social cues and the ability to falsely identify yourself, are afraid that technology will potentially ruin everything. The invention of printing was once regarded as a creation by the devil, in which put false opinions into the minds of people. Today, this disagreement continues. People believe that new technology will result in disastrous consequences for language. Individuals who are against this advanced form of socializing believe that it creates emotions including curiosity, suspicion, fear confusion, and fascination all at once. Though machines and advancements in technology do have the ability to change us, who's to say that these changes can't be for the better? In the mid-1980s, the idea of short message service was created. The Global System for Mobile Communications network developed the idea for this new form of communication, and in the early 1990s, phone companies began to consider its commercial possibilities. Pagers were soon replaced by text messages, though they were only twenty characters in length. After five years of development, users finally began to build up. Once companies discovered reliable ways of charging service, texting flourished. Between 2000 and 2005, world figures went from seventeen billion to two-hundred and fifty billion, generating about seventy billion dollars. Since the 1980s, people have had the power to change the way in which we communicate, creating greater technological advances. Texting often attracts criticism because of the fact that it is highly centered on the use of abbreviations, numbers and symbols, rather than actual words.
This noticeable feature, however, dates back centuries. Rebuses, or characters used to represent words, were being used in the 1600s, with the creation of IOU (I owe you). As discussed by David Crystal, there is no difference between S.W.A.L.K (sealed with a loving kiss), which was used in the war to shorten letters, and today's modern LOL (laughing out loud). Abbreviations have been created as a natural, intuitive response to what people have encountered in other
settings. As discussed by David Crystal in his article “2b or not 2b,” texting is helping rather than hindering literacy. Studies have contradicted the beliefs of many, and people should not fear the consequences of texting. These studies, which were conducted by a team at Coventry University, have shown positive links between the use of text language and success in Standard English. During this study, pre-teenage children who used the most abbreviations when texting, received higher scores on tests of reading and vocabulary. Children who used the most textisms demonstrated better spelling and writing skills. This study also determined that the younger the children were when they received their first phone, the higher their scores were overall. From the results of these studies, it can be concluded that in order to be a good texter, children must first develop considerable literacy awareness. Before individuals are able to play with abbreviated forms of writing, they must first have a sense of how the sounds of language relate to the letters. This new dimension for language is helping literacy. It is not wrecking our language. In 2002, the use of text language was used to provide justice for the murder of a fifteen year old girl. Stuart Campbell, who claimed that texts sent by the victim proved his innocence, was found guilty after being caught for forging the messages. A detailed comparison of the murderer's vocabulary and stylistic features of texting showed that he was the one who had actually written the texts. This situation is just one of the many examples that show how texting is a relatively unstandardized method of communication. In such context, text language can be used by higher authority to put those who are guilty behind bars. Since texting is prone to idiosyncrasy, authorship differences are easily detected as opposed to the Standard English writing. Through research, it has been made apparent that the early media hysteria in regards to novelty and thus the dangers of text messaging have been replaced. In an American study, less than twenty percent of text messages contained abbreviated forms of the English language. In a similar Norwegian study, this percentage was even lower, with a six percent outcome of abbreviations. Today, many people still have the belief that young individuals only use abbreviations when texting. In 2003, a hoax essay was published online giving the impression that a teenager had written an entire essay in textisms. Though texting is used mainly as a way to save time and energy, some texters refuse to depart from traditional orthography. When messages are longer and contain more information, they typically contain conventional spellings and correct punctuation so that they can be easily understood. Institutional and organizational messages, which now form the majority of texts in cyberspace, often forbid the use of abbreviations in order to maintain professionalism. There are numerous ways in which people play with the English language. Riddles, crosswords, Scrabble, the invention of new words, the creation of advertisement slogans, newspaper headlines, poems, novels, and plays, are just some of the few enjoyable things that people have the ability to create by playing with sounds, words, grammar and spelling. This drive for creativity extends through the use of texting. In 2007, as a way to celebrate World Poetry day, T-Mobile conducted a contest to find the best romantic poetry created through text messages. The winner of this contest did not engage in any form of abbreviated writing, but rather expressed a creative take on the haiku tradition of poetry. This contest showed that text messages sometimes have nothing to do with the use of abbreviations, but rather using short lines of writing that contain individual force. This domestication of technology, or movement of social media devices into homes and personal spaces, not only gives people the opportunity to express creativity, but provides individuals with an advanced form of entertainment, a way to perform research, a sense of communication, and the ability to create and maintain relationships as well. In the article “2b or not 2b,” Professor David Crystal, who is known for his work in English language studies and linguistics, challenges the common belief that texting is not a natural form of communication and that it is wrecking our language. Texting is an evolutionary change in communication that may actually provide benefits to language, rather than diminishing literacy. Although this form of socialization often creates moral panic, studies such as those discussed by David Crystal have shown results that contradict these fears. As the domestication of technology continues, people must understand that we have the power to shape the future, and therefore, we must encounter technological determinism in a positive manner in order to successfully evolve as humans. As stated by the author, “In texting, what we are seeing, in a small way, is language in evolution” (345).
Those who believe that texting is not a natural form of communication due to the lack of social cues and the ability to falsely identify yourself, are afraid that technology will potentially ruin everything. The invention of printing was once regarded as a creation by the devil, in which put false opinions into the minds of people. Today, this disagreement continues. People believe that new technology will result in disastrous consequences for language. Individuals who are against this advanced form of socializing believe that it creates emotions including curiosity, suspicion, fear confusion, and fascination all at once. Though machines and advancements in technology do have the ability to change us, who's to say that these changes can't be for the better? In the mid-1980s, the idea of short message service was created. The Global System for Mobile Communications network developed the idea for this new form of communication, and in the early 1990s, phone companies began to consider its commercial possibilities. Pagers were soon replaced by text messages, though they were only twenty characters in length. After five years of development, users finally began to build up. Once companies discovered reliable ways of charging service, texting flourished. Between 2000 and 2005, world figures went from seventeen billion to two-hundred and fifty billion, generating about seventy billion dollars. Since the 1980s, people have had the power to change the way in which we communicate, creating greater technological advances. Texting often attracts criticism because of the fact that it is highly centered on the use of abbreviations, numbers and symbols, rather than actual words.
This noticeable feature, however, dates back centuries. Rebuses, or characters used to represent words, were being used in the 1600s, with the creation of IOU (I owe you). As discussed by David Crystal, there is no difference between S.W.A.L.K (sealed with a loving kiss), which was used in the war to shorten letters, and today's modern LOL (laughing out loud). Abbreviations have been created as a natural, intuitive response to what people have encountered in other
settings. As discussed by David Crystal in his article “2b or not 2b,” texting is helping rather than hindering literacy. Studies have contradicted the beliefs of many, and people should not fear the consequences of texting. These studies, which were conducted by a team at Coventry University, have shown positive links between the use of text language and success in Standard English. During this study, pre-teenage children who used the most abbreviations when texting, received higher scores on tests of reading and vocabulary. Children who used the most textisms demonstrated better spelling and writing skills. This study also determined that the younger the children were when they received their first phone, the higher their scores were overall. From the results of these studies, it can be concluded that in order to be a good texter, children must first develop considerable literacy awareness. Before individuals are able to play with abbreviated forms of writing, they must first have a sense of how the sounds of language relate to the letters. This new dimension for language is helping literacy. It is not wrecking our language. In 2002, the use of text language was used to provide justice for the murder of a fifteen year old girl. Stuart Campbell, who claimed that texts sent by the victim proved his innocence, was found guilty after being caught for forging the messages. A detailed comparison of the murderer's vocabulary and stylistic features of texting showed that he was the one who had actually written the texts. This situation is just one of the many examples that show how texting is a relatively unstandardized method of communication. In such context, text language can be used by higher authority to put those who are guilty behind bars. Since texting is prone to idiosyncrasy, authorship differences are easily detected as opposed to the Standard English writing. Through research, it has been made apparent that the early media hysteria in regards to novelty and thus the dangers of text messaging have been replaced. In an American study, less than twenty percent of text messages contained abbreviated forms of the English language. In a similar Norwegian study, this percentage was even lower, with a six percent outcome of abbreviations. Today, many people still have the belief that young individuals only use abbreviations when texting. In 2003, a hoax essay was published online giving the impression that a teenager had written an entire essay in textisms. Though texting is used mainly as a way to save time and energy, some texters refuse to depart from traditional orthography. When messages are longer and contain more information, they typically contain conventional spellings and correct punctuation so that they can be easily understood. Institutional and organizational messages, which now form the majority of texts in cyberspace, often forbid the use of abbreviations in order to maintain professionalism. There are numerous ways in which people play with the English language. Riddles, crosswords, Scrabble, the invention of new words, the creation of advertisement slogans, newspaper headlines, poems, novels, and plays, are just some of the few enjoyable things that people have the ability to create by playing with sounds, words, grammar and spelling. This drive for creativity extends through the use of texting. In 2007, as a way to celebrate World Poetry day, T-Mobile conducted a contest to find the best romantic poetry created through text messages. The winner of this contest did not engage in any form of abbreviated writing, but rather expressed a creative take on the haiku tradition of poetry. This contest showed that text messages sometimes have nothing to do with the use of abbreviations, but rather using short lines of writing that contain individual force. This domestication of technology, or movement of social media devices into homes and personal spaces, not only gives people the opportunity to express creativity, but provides individuals with an advanced form of entertainment, a way to perform research, a sense of communication, and the ability to create and maintain relationships as well. In the article “2b or not 2b,” Professor David Crystal, who is known for his work in English language studies and linguistics, challenges the common belief that texting is not a natural form of communication and that it is wrecking our language. Texting is an evolutionary change in communication that may actually provide benefits to language, rather than diminishing literacy. Although this form of socialization often creates moral panic, studies such as those discussed by David Crystal have shown results that contradict these fears. As the domestication of technology continues, people must understand that we have the power to shape the future, and therefore, we must encounter technological determinism in a positive manner in order to successfully evolve as humans. As stated by the author, “In texting, what we are seeing, in a small way, is language in evolution” (345).