Texting in the Academic Context: Pros and Cons

Texting in the Academic Context: Pros and Cons Irina Averianova, Nagoya Business University, Japan

Instant Messaging-Development • 1995 -0.4 messages per customer per month • 2006 - 72% of all mobile phone users worldwide use Short Message Service (SMS). • Finland, Sweden, Norway - 90% of the population • The European average - about 85% • 2010 -2.4 trillion

Texting as Electronic Discourse: Written Speech Spoken Writing (Hybrid, A new computer style, Internet Slang, Internet language, Net speak, Chat Room Shorthand, Tech-talk, Nu English) DISCURSIVE DRIVES • Economy of writing • Linguistic relaxation • Maintenance of orality in the absence of direct auditory interaction

ABBREVIATION Initialisms:ASAP, TTYT, ISTM, KISS, PICNIC, HAND, POS, TUL Clippings:Pic, Peeps, Attn Homophonic coinages or Logograms:2dA, 2u2, UC, Qt, Y Electronic Discourse

Electronic Discourse SIMPLIFIED SYNTAX Incomplete sentences:Need 2 go; been watching ya “Contracted” contractions:dont, whats, thats

Electronic Discourse EMOTICONS (SMILEGLYPHS, SMILEYS) :-) “smile” :’-( “crying” :-O “surprise, shock” :-* “kiss” :-D “laughing” :-@“screaming” >:-O “angry/yelling >:-( “angry/grumpy”

Texting – Linguistic Profile Abbreviation Initialisms • Words N – no Y – yes W – with W/O – without W/E – weekend GF - girl friend • Phrases NP - no problem FTF – face to face • Sentence OMG – oh my God! SWDYT – so what do you think CMB – call me back

Texting – Linguistic Profile Abbreviation Cf. – Initialisms in Email • KISS - keep it simple stupid • PICNIC – problem in chair not computer • RTM – “Read the manual” • RTFM(BCK2Skol, 1999)

Texting – Linguistic Profile Abbreviation Letter Omission • Contractions attn, rgds, sb, sth, it’s • Clipppings lab, rep, Jan, Sat, pic • Vowel omission Gd – good, pls – please, xlnt -excellent • Logograms 29t (tonight), cu @ 8, 4u

Electronic Discourse in SMS • il b kmg dar 2 mor 2 c S cz I need 2 giv her dr buk kmg wif P vl meet 2 k g’n8 (-: • (I’ll be coming there tomorrow to see S, because I need to give her the book. Coming with P. We’ll meet too ok? Good night.’) • YYSSW - yeah, yeah, sure, whatever • SWYRT - so what do you think? • BHME@2 - I will be home at 2 o’clock)

Txtng: The Gr8 Db8(D. Crystal, 2008) My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, it's a gr8 plc (In translation: "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It's a great place.") (BBC News, 4 March, 2003)

Texting in academic writing xs cmpnstn fnds wl b nvstd 4 srvvng fmly mmbrs (In translation: “Excess compensation funds will be invested for surviving family members.”) (I. Berman, 2006)

Texting in academic writing • Common disclaimer phrases (called “parantheticals”) ofn contract in2 ACRONYMS – they tend to occur @ certain points in a sentence which can facilitate decoding. Some e.g.s.: IMHO – In my humble/honest opinion… • Lol, btw, b/c (N. Baron 2009) • @, $, &

Texting – Other problems • Cheating • 2002 - University of Maryland, College Park, 12 students • 2002 - Hitotsubashi University, 26 students • 2004 - England, 287 school and college students • Multitasking • Disruption

Texting – Benefits • Teenagers read and write more (B. Bass, Maryland Writing Project, 2002) • Additional experience in writing (D.Crystal, 2009) • A new generation of teenage writers, accustomed to translating their every thought and feeling into words (H.Helderman, 2003) • Revising and editing (G. Jacobs, 2005)

Texting – Concerns • Code-switching • Knowledge of traditional writing conventions • Communicative awareness • Texting etiquette • Differentiation between creativity and normative language use

What is texting? • “Linguistic decline”, “Crisis” • Nu English, language of the future PURISM OR FLEXIBILITY? 2b or not 2b th@ts ?  Innovative strategy!

Texting in the Academic Context: Pros and Cons