Essay Sample on Text Messaging and Internet on Language

Introduction

The contemporary society perceives the English language as one of the most widely used languages globally which are relevant. The language is experiencing a process of transformation which is as a result of influence which modern technology brings. There is an increased concern that the rise of internet and text messaging (also referred to as Short Message Service) has developed to the increase of severe problems for the English language. Mobile phones, computers and the use of the internet are contributing to the increased use of non-standard English vocabulary. Short message service (SMS) plays an essential role in communication because of its internal features. When people started using text messaging, there were several constraints which users experienced. Among these challenges were the limitations on the number of characters in a single message. The keyboard system also consumed much time which implied that writing using text messaging was time-consuming. As a result, the users embarked on experimenting with language to save on time and cost of sending each message. They also had to experiment with language as a way of avoiding the limitations through creating word variations and abbreviations which could easily be assessed in small keyboards. Text messaging and internet use impacts language skills which in turn affects the use of the English language.

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Origin

Campbell and Ling (2017) explained that the introduction of mobile phones to the youth market began in the late 1990s. Campbell and Ling (2017) further add that the first text message to be sent was in 1992 through a personal computer. Nokia (a multinational technology company) introduced an SMS enabled phone the following year. In the year 2000s, American idol facilitated the spread of text messaging through the introduction of 'text to vote' in 2003. The trend continued, and by the year 2004, Chun, Kern and Smith (2016) confirmed that about 500 billion text messages were sent across the world. For instance, South Africans sent about 85.5 million text messages during the 2004 festive season. The case highlighted increased communication through the use of mobile phones as the primary communication channel. President Barack Obama also used the same technique to announce his presidential running mate in 2008. The verb 'texting' was also introduced into the dictionary for the first time in 2010.

In contemporary society, text messaging, therefore, is a typical characteristic of the millennial generation which is also referred to as a net generation. The net generation is the generation born after the 1980s and early 1990s. The generation is unique because their life is set in technology and media. It is for this reason that text messaging became a natural tendency which managed to turn towards information and communication technologies (ICTs) is an essential characteristic of the use of the internet. Chun, Kern and Smith (2016) asserts that the millennial are the leading generation in the history of human society who perceive activities such as social networking through the use of social media, and text messaging besides other remarkable technological innovations, as an essential part of social life.

Campbell and Ling (2017) explain that text messaging developed the emergence of the term 'chatting' which is a common feature of social media networks. Most social media platforms such as Twitter have adopted the 'short character format' which is a phenomenon that employs the short messaging concept. Through text messaging, people learn to be precise, concise and character conscious. Modern platforms such as emails, social media, chat and other forms of online communication have employed broad options outside text messaging, but the possibilities require data. Text messaging is currently a universal and essential feature of mobile phones which is more affordable in an unlimited package. However, it has impacted language use negatively.

Methods of Text Messaging

There are six distinct ways in which text messaging impacts language use. These are through pictograms, letter omission, initialisms, word shortening, non-standard spellings, and logograms. The following are details of each of these methods and their meanings.

Pictograms

Crystal (2008) defines a pictogram to be the representation of concepts, faces, and objects which signify characters and emotions among other things. The primary focus of pictograms is the nature or form of what is written. The most common example f pictogram is @(---'---'--- which represents a rose. Similarly,-@ represents face screaming. Also, (*0*) represents a surprised facial expression (Crystal, 2008). The outstanding fact is that pictograms use the same symbols to convey the intended message. However, it is possible to distinguish the symbols from one another since they are different.

Table 1: Pictograms

Letter Omission

These are shortened words which are written without one or more letters in the middle or at the end of the words (Crystal, 2008). It is possible to develop the omission through avoiding the use of a vowel. However, there are possibilities of omitting consonants in the process. It is also possible to write one word in different forms through omitting different letters. For instance, the word please can be written through omitting some words to become 'pls.' The word 'market' can also be written as 'mkt.' Lastly, the word 'coming' can be written as 'comin.' There are other various examples.

Initialisms

According to Crystal (2008), the concept is the reduction of words to the first letter of each word. It involves generating acronyms which can both appear in the lowercase or uppercase. Initialisms can appear in various arrangements such as single words, phrases, compound words, whole sentences, elliptical sentences, and expostulations. For instance, the letter 'N' can be used to denote no, FTF could mean face to face. TTYL to mean talk to you later, SYL to mean 'see you later,' SWDYT for so what do you think? DK for don't know, BF and GF for boyfriend and girlfriend respectively among various others.

Table 1: Initialisms

Word Shortening

These are abbreviations which are developed through dropping one essential element (Crystal, 2008). Usually, the omitted element is evident at the end of the word. The omitted elements also occur at the beginning. For instance, the word 'day' is always omitted in 'days of the week.' On the same note, Crystal I2008) explains that the endings in words such as January and December are omitted to develop 'Jan' and 'Dec.' There are other various examples such as 'approx' for approximately, 'uni' for university, 'telephone' for a phone where the beginning of the word is omitted to shorten, among various others.

Non-standard Spellings

These are derived from misspelling a word. People usually misspell words consciously or unconsciously (Crystal, 2008). However, for the case of text messaging, people do it deliberately. Non-standard spelling is a conscious misspelling, and the users may not be able to use modern technologies if they do not know how to read and write. Examples of non-standard spellings are 'wot' for what, 'shud' for should, 'bin' and 'bn' for been, 'gonna' for going to, 'skul' for school, and many others. Non-standard spellings suggest that, for instance, the word 'school,' 'ch' changes to 'k' since the user does not pronounce it. The pronunciation, therefore, does not change. Also, in 'what,' 'a' changes to 'o' because there is a similarity in how they are pronounced. Letter 'h' is omitted because it is not pronounced. It, therefore, means that non-standard spellings emphasize on pronunciation rather than spelling.

Logograms

It is the final category of text messaging. Logograms are syllables, words or noises which are associated with actions (Crystal, 2008). Symbols, letters, and numbers represent the syllables, noises, and words. The primary focus of logograms is the pronunciation of the number, letter or symbol rather than the writing. For instance, the letter 'b' represents the word 'be.' The symbol '@' also represents the word 'at.' Logograms can, however, use more than one number, symbol or letter to represent more than one word. It is also possible to combine more than one number, letter or symbol.

Table 2: Logograms

Similarly, Crystal (2008) adds that it is also possible to combine a letter, symbol or number with the syllable, or part of the syllable. For instance, 'b4' is a combination of the letter 'b' and number '4' to denote the word 'before.' '@toms' is a combination of part of a syllable, 'toms' and a symbol '@' to represent the word 'atoms.' Lastly '2day' is a combination of the syllable 'day' and a number '2' to denote the word 'today.'

Impact of Text Messaging on Language

Ability to Interpret Words

According to University of Calgary (2012), texting affects the ability to interpret words. They further explain that individuals who engage more in texting are unlikely to accept new words while those who read traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, and books are likely to accept more of the same words. The research assumed that text messaging encourages unconstrained language. When people read more traditional media, they get exposure to a variety of language creativity which is absent in colloquial text messaging which is common among the youths or millennial.

Language Efficiency

Kuznekoff, Munz and Titsworth (2015) agree that text messaging affects language efficiency. Spoken language is essential in speeding communication over complexity and length. The written word has gone through an evolution, and it takes a longer time to read. The objective or designing written communication was to enhance flexibility and speed in communication as compared to spoken language. Text messaging enhances efficiency and fast communication through abbreviations, dropped vowels and other methodologies which have already been described above.

Formal Vs. Informal

Texting impacts language through the formation of formal and informal modes of English language. English is English. Formality and informality are identified through the use of vocabulary and grammar. Texting splits the language into formal and informal modes. The informal mode is common in texting conversations and spoken communications.

Language Skills

Text messaging affects language skills which are essential to be used in formal settings. Texting has changed the use of formal language, and mostly, youths find themselves switching easily between Standard English and text messaging. It, therefore, means that texting has both positive and negative impacts on language skills. Students who send text messages regularly showcase richer vocabulary skills and creativity. It develops creativity through the use of shortcuts. Youths have managed to establish their new language through text messaging, and the language is different, though related to English.

However, Wood, Kemp, Waldron and Hart (2014) disagree with Kuznekoff, Munz and Titsworth (2015) and assert that texting encourages unconstrained language and affects the language skills of users. It promotes laziness and users are unable to gain new vocabularies as a result of using shortcuts. It interferes with language skills and limits the expansion of a language, making English words to become extinct.

Addiction

The use of acronyms and abbreviations is addictive. They make people take language for granted since people may become obsessed as a result of texting. Wood, Kemp and Plester, (2014) explains that texting itself is a form of addiction. Every text is novel and unpredictable. The unpredictability and novelty create addictive gratifying dopamine hit which chemically locks in the fortification. People, therefore, develop an addictiv...