Text messaging has altered our spoken discourse.
Since the development of text messaging, we have experienced a huge step in language development – something not seen since the days of William Shakespeare. This new phenomena, pushed by the younger generation, has altered the way we speak forever. A profound number of new words have been added to the dictionary, and new language features that never existed before have been developed. All because of text messaging. These features, such as abbreviations, acronyms, slang and omissions were first used in text messaging to speed up communication, and have now found their way into our everyday spoken conversation. So why do people use them? perhaps for efficiency, out of laziness, or simply because they can. However, there is no doubt about the fact that our language has changed because of text messaging.
The first two language features that have recently been developed by text messaging are abbreviations and acronyms. An abbreviation is a word or phrase that has been shortened in order to be spoken more quickly, such as coz, shortened from the word because. Both words mean the same thing, however coz is simply shorter and easier to write quickly, so it is commonly used in spoken language because it is also much easier to say. An acronym is a word formed from the first letters of a group of words, like LOL comes from the words Laugh Out Loud. Acronyms are also used to communicate more quickly through texting or spoken language, but are also used simply out of laziness. Like when somebody finds something funny but instead of laughing they just say “LOL.” This isn’t the same as laughing, it just shows that what the person has said is funny, but not funny enough to laugh at. However, This latest language development in itself should not be thought of as lazy, in fact the very idea that we humans understand our language enough to modify it and make it more efficient is quite amazing.
The second language feature that has been developed by text messaging is slang. Slang is a type of very informal language, generally restricted to a particular context or group of people. For example the word “bruv” is used only by close friends to express how close they are with each other. In text messaging, it is easier to write “bruv” than it is to write “dear friend of mine whom I resonate closely with as though they were my brother.” and it is also easier to say. However, the word slang often has a negative connotation, as many people think of slang as being inappropriate or even unkind. With that in mind it is not surprising that text messaging has altered our spoken discourse, with new words like bruv making it much easier to communicate new ideas.
The third language feature that has been developed by text messaging is an omission. An omission is a part of speech that has been left out or excluded simply because it is unnecessary. For example, in a text message that I wrote to my mum I wrote “can get ride home” instead of “I can get a ride home” because the words “I” and “a” are not necessary, and the text can easily be understood without them. People disclude words from spoken conversations as well, in the same way. Omissions can also be used to add more information to a message, shown with the three dots ( … ). If an omission like this is used after a sentence it means that there is more to be said, or, if used between words, shows a pause in the speech where the writer stopped to think, for example “um… what?”. Omissions were frequently used prior to text messaging, however not to the same extent that they are used today.
In conclusion, text messaging has altered our spoken discourse dramatically from the profound number of new words now in the english language, and our day to day use of abbreviations, acronyms, slang and omissions. It is impossible to imagine that a language development this large could have happened without the extensive use of text messaging.
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