Does texting dumb down the English language?

[Ekwarph]

Well, seriously I'm not sure the older generation who has not grown with text messages is much better in orthograph than young people who are used to this kind of language.

To have read mixed generationnal forums like this one but in French, there was no real difference in level of language between both. Well, some young people couldn't write correctly but it was marginal (here, I can't really judge actually).

[Pix]

I thought this might be of interest:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/30/opinion/mc...index.html

Btw, I just recalled this (remembering this moving first came out in 1993)




at 1:33

[Tim18]

I thought this might be of interest:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/30/opinion/mc...index.html

Btw, I just recalled this (remembering this moving first came out in 1993)




at 1:33

That would have definitlely, would have been a funnier way to end it.

[Genersis]

It doesn't dumb down the language necessarily. I just find it very annoying.

[Woollyhats]

i agr33 txtin is intim8. whoevr said it wsnt is lyin.
----

Yes, it dumbs things down! It's why I text in full and complete sentences, leading my friends to tell me: "You text weird!".

.

[Ekwarph]

7h3R3'5 7h053 wh0 wr173 1337

[LONDONER]

Hi Lalo. I agree with much of what you say, all languages progress, new words are introduced and sometimes even change their meanings, take "gay" as one example.

I just really dislike the sheer ugliness of textspeak, at least as long as there are words that will express what the writer wants in a far more elegant manner. All I can do it to try to is to slow down the change. English after all, can be a very beautiful language used correctly.

Upon Julia's Clothes

When as in silks my Julia goes,
Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows that liquifaction of her clothes.

Next, when I cast mine eyes and see
That brave vibration each way free
Oh how that glittering taketh me!

Now write that in textspeak and hope to come anywhere near to the emotion.

[cardiganwearer]

Texting has been around for about twenty years and has made little impact on the written language. It has some abominable aspects, but they seem to have confined themselves to the medium that created them. It may be true that students are using sms abbreviations in essays, but nobody is going to be awarded marks for them. The very notion of an essay surely requires a level of detail and capacity to convey nuance that precludes the use of such shorthand. Perhaps I am being overly optimistic.

...Upon Julia's Clothes

When as in silks my Julia goes,
Then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows that liquifaction of her clothes.

Next, when I cast mine eyes and see
That brave vibration each way free
Oh how that glittering taketh me!

Now write that in textspeak and hope to come anywhere near to the emotion.

The Grauniad ran a text poetry competition in 2001. One of the runners up (better than the winners in my view) ran thus

i w8 fr yr mesg the beep yr wrds of rude luv.
U mke me blush w
The curve of yr letters u tch me thru my palms, my eyes

Lucy Sweetman

Poetry rarely translates well into fully formed languages, it's going to stand less chance when atrocious abbreviations are forced on it. When it is created entirely within the text speak idiom it looks to me like it can work. It's a bit like haiku, or like sonata form, the more constraining and rigourous the rules the better the creative outcome.

I am not a poet, nor do I play one on television.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/200...net.poetry

[EvenOlderButWiser]

Hundreds of years ago English was a lot more flowery and poetic

I believe the word your looking for is gaye :-)

ObW
X

[Lilitu]

I think it does, and not just the shorthand nonsense abbreviations, but the fact that it's so fast and lazy also 'dumbs down' the English language.

I won't pretend to be an upholder of the golden age of English. I'm a lazy lazy person. Most times, I just make noises when I cant be bothered speaking but am still engaged in conversation. When I do speak, I sometimes speak so fast I miss out words; my brain can't catch up with my lips.

It's a shame that laziness grips speakers so much. But it is hard work to talk all the time eloquently. Text speak only dumbs down the language when it takes over somebody's entire language.

It's important to preserve our very precious capability to use language.