Title: Embracing the Linguistic Shift: A Personal Reflection on "Will Text Messaging Ruin the English Language" by Dallas Spires
Introduction:
In "Will Text Messaging Ruin the English Language," Dallas Spires explores the concerns surrounding the impact of text messaging on the English language. While Spires highlights the potential deterioration of language skills due to the prevalence of texting, this essay offers a personal reflection on the positive aspects of text messaging and its role in language evolution. Drawing from my own experiences, this essay aims to provide a nuanced perspective that acknowledges both the challenges and benefits of this linguistic shift.
I. The Influence of Text Messaging: A Paradigm Shift
Spires raises legitimate concerns regarding the impact of text messaging on language skills, expressing apprehension about the use of abbreviations, acronyms, and unconventional grammar. However, my personal experience has revealed that text messaging serves as a catalyst for a paradigm shift in the way we communicate. While some may view the brevity and informality of text messages as detrimental to language proficiency, it is important to recognize that texting has introduced new forms of expression, requiring adaptability and creativity in conveying ideas concisely. Rather than viewing text
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However, personal experience suggests that language evolution is not synonymous with linguistic decline. Throughout history, languages have evolved, adapting to the changing needs and contexts of communication. Similarly, text messaging introduces a unique language register that caters to the efficiency and immediacy required in digital communication. Rather than considering this as a degradation, it can be viewed as an expansion of language capabilities, allowing for increased flexibility and
The English language has been around for a number of years, but now it is taking the world by storm. In Dennis Baron 's article titled "Who Owns Global English," he discusses how English has taken root in different countries to the dismay of their Governments. English has taken a new meaning in some countries that native speakers would call improper English. " Yes, we want" (Baron, 35) is the new battle cry of Madrid 's campaign on English. This may be bad English, but Baron is considering the possibility of it becoming a new form of English.
Naomi Baron, a linguistics professor at American University, believes that texting is harming students writing. She states, “So much of American society has become sloppy and laissez faire about the mechanics of writing” (131). The author used this quote to drawl in the teachers who believe texting is harming students writing. Cullington goal is to make them continue reading and learn how she believes texting is actually beneficial. By putting the opposing view point of texting affecting writing in the beginning, is confusing to the target audience.
For Professor Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, online communication is not as devastating as some critics argue that it reduces people 's ability to read, write, and think in a clear, logical and critical way. They point out considerable problems like reductive abbreviations substitute for complete words and sentences in writing and the fast speed message exchange reduce the time for thinking. On the contrary, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the Internet is only another field that can expose some weak and unsophisticated writers (171). The technology itself has nothing to be blamed, but it is essential for people to step back and discuss how to develop new ability to face the challenge of the new technology. After all, technology improvement
Today, texting has become the most widely used communication technique for teenagers and young adults. It is written in completely informal language and it has no literature value in it. Although the critics believe texting is destroying literature value, McWhorter has another opinion in mind. McWhorter thinks that texting is another form of language that is developed by teenagers. It is the creation of a brand new language evolving from the old literature.
In her essay "Does Texting Affect Writing?", Michaela Cullington presents her argument that texting does not impact formal writing written by students. She discusses the concerns presented by many people about how texting language can transfer into writing, but through the use of personal experiences and credible sources she discusses how this is not true. Her use of multiple different studies and situations help boost her argument and allow the reader to truly see how students actually do formal writing. She presents a strong argument as to why those who believe students don't have the control and knowledge to write formally, instead of with text speak, are wrong.
This, along with her own anecdotal experience, lead her to the conclusion that texting is not something to be afraid of by teachers because it does not harm students' writing abilities. The abbreviations have the purpose of speeding up the process of typing, and as long as expecatations about writing assignments are clear there would be no
Michaela Cullington was a former student at University in Pennsylvania when she wrote the essay of “Does Texting Affect Writing?” Have you ever thought if texting truly effects our writing style when it comes to college levels? Cullington did research of her own from different people group asking this question. Her thesis sentence was “IT TAKES OVER OUR LIVES” (…). The way that she capitalized all the letters is something that can engage the reader and the curiosity of knowing what is taking our lives?
Even in our phones, the way we text to one another, not actually writing in complete sentences, except using abbreviations and special characters such as emoji. With that practice, it is harder to come up with proper English to express actual feelings to others, and shall affect the way we communicate verbally with
Everyone makes mistakes in their writing. As time progresses people are getting more lazy when it comes to constructing a piece of writing. Sloppy habits, writing with slang terms, and utilizing tools such as spell-check or grammar-check have contributed to the devolution of the English language. In the essay “I H8 TXT MSGS”, John Humphrys employs the appeals logos, pathos, and ethos, directed toward texters; to address the destruction of the English language by mainstream grammatical errors used in text messaging. Humphrys utilizes logos, persuading with the use of reasoning; through analogies and hard evidence to recognize the loss of English language by text messaging.
In her essay “Does Texting Affect Writing?” Michaela Cullington addresses the issue of text messaging possibly causing poor communication skills and the use of textspeak, abbreviations used during text messaging such as “LOL” and “g2g,” in students’ formal writing. Cullington argues that “texting actually has a minimal effect on student writing” (pg. 367). She addresses the opposition directly, even citing credible sources. However, she also cites credible sources with better information to support her point, and even conducts an experiment of her own.
Not So Fast” Andrea Lunsford researched students’ writing for 30-plus years to see what effect new technology has on how students learn. Lunsford discovered that students are actually improving their own writing skills with the help of mass media. Not only does it allow students more access to educational resources and information, but it also encourages students to do more creative thinking and writing outside of class which Lunsford refers to in her article as “life writing.” In her research she recalls the account of a student who sent a friend a text message which was completely informal and would be considered unprofessional by most piers. However, the same student also sent a very formal and professional report to her faculty adviser later on.
This report identified just a few of the many Englishes used every day to communicate across different registers. It highlighted areas where the line gets blurred such as instant messaging on Facebook book, while exploring the notion of code switching between different
A. Now generations, almost all people own a smartphone, this phenomenon make most of them lack of communication skills. 1. According to Jasmine Fowlkes said that “social media and modern technology begin to affect their ability to properly communicate in person with peers.” 2.
The use of our language has been built by our culture while it has also affected it. However, our personal impact on our societies varies in terms of individual effort. The way we act in certain situations is to large extent influenced by our social identities. Where we stand in our communities is essential to understand the way we interact with others using our language. Our linguistic skills shape our identities as well as they are affected and mildly constructed by them.
The world we live in today is predominately changing with the advancement of digital communication in the daily aspects of our life. The rapid growth and evolution of digital communication, has resulted in it now becoming the backbone of the way we interact with other people. Beginning from simple 160-character SMS messages to text’s influence on the internet including Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Instagram and then introduced on our mobile phones with BBM and whatsapp; digital communication has become a part of our spoken discourse. Digital communication in every aspect has impacted our lives as it helps jobs and businesses communicate a lot faster through e-mail, multimedia and texting.