What do you think?
Rate this book
Txtng: The Gr8 Db8
Text messaging has spread like wildfire. Indeed texting is so widespread that many parents, teachers, and media pundits have been outspoken in their criticism of it. Does texting spell the end of western civilization?
In this humorous, level-headed and insightful book, David Crystal argues that the panic over texting is misplaced. Crystal, a world renowned linguist and prolific author on the uses and abuses of English, here looks at every aspect of the phenomenon of text-messaging and considers its effects
on literacy, language, and society. He explains how texting began, how it works, who uses it, and how much it is used, and he shows how to interpret the mixture of pictograms, logograms, abbreviations, symbols, and wordplay typically used in texting. He finds that the texting system of conveying
sounds and concepts goes back a long way--to the very origins of writing. And far from hindering children's literacy, texting turns out to help it.
Illustrated with original art by Ed MacLachlan, a popular cartoonist whose work has appeared in Punch, Private Eye, New Statesman , and many other publications, The Gr8 Db8 is entertaining and instructive--reassuring for worried parents and teachers, illuminating for teenagers, and
fascinating for everyone interested in what's currently happening to language and communication.
In this humorous, level-headed and insightful book, David Crystal argues that the panic over texting is misplaced. Crystal, a world renowned linguist and prolific author on the uses and abuses of English, here looks at every aspect of the phenomenon of text-messaging and considers its effects
on literacy, language, and society. He explains how texting began, how it works, who uses it, and how much it is used, and he shows how to interpret the mixture of pictograms, logograms, abbreviations, symbols, and wordplay typically used in texting. He finds that the texting system of conveying
sounds and concepts goes back a long way--to the very origins of writing. And far from hindering children's literacy, texting turns out to help it.
Illustrated with original art by Ed MacLachlan, a popular cartoonist whose work has appeared in Punch, Private Eye, New Statesman , and many other publications, The Gr8 Db8 is entertaining and instructive--reassuring for worried parents and teachers, illuminating for teenagers, and
fascinating for everyone interested in what's currently happening to language and communication.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2008
22 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
David Crystal
230 books772 followersDavid Crystal works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1941, he spent his early years in Holyhead. His family moved to Liverpool in 1951, and he received his secondary schooling at St Mary's College. He read English at University College London (1959-62), specialised in English language studies, did some research there at the Survey of English Usage under Randolph Quirk (1962-3), then joined academic life as a lecturer in linguistics, first at Bangor, then at Reading. He published the first of his 100 or so books in 1964, and became known chiefly for his research work in English language studies, in such fields as intonation and stylistics, and in the application of linguistics to religious, educational and clinical contexts, notably in the development of a range of linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He held a chair at the University of Reading for 10 years, and is now Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. These days he divides his time between work on language and work on internet applications.
source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/
source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 10, 2019
In a digital age where no one seems to be able to live without a smart phone at hand, here's a relevant book addressing the passionate debate regarding how our languages' future might be (if at all) affected by texting.
The never ending complaint is well known: we give in to the need for speed, and so text each others messages those grammar is butchered, mercilessly massacred, throwing thus out of the window the rules and conventions that had been established over centuries. Is it just a matter of time before those rules are all but forgotten, and the future of English (or any other language, for that matter) about 2 die just lik dat 4ever cuz no1 can spel @ all? Lol & OMG! Youngsters especially are now accused, more and more, of being completely ignorant when it comes to spelling; the blame being put on, you guess it, their digital gadgets and electronic doolalis with which they not only get their thumbs overexcited, but, also, vandalise and ransack, text messages after text messages, their poor language! The never ending complaint is well known, and yet...
David Crystal, the famous linguist, tackles here the issue; debunking, not without some quirky smirks, a few myths going around. In fact, he tells what texting really implies in terms of linguistics; and that from pictograms, logograms, ellipsis, abbreviations, initialisms, and other contractions, there's no need to panic: here's nothing new under the sun. Technology is new, but all the language plays we are dealing with certainly aren't (a reason which, actually, explains their so rapid and popular appropriation and success…). As for the rampant illiteracy rate among our poor youth (mmh?) he affirms not only that such worries are also far from new, but, also, that texting, despite the dislike of some hysterical mass medias, are just a scapegoat - and a bad one at that!
Here's the surprise: quoting studies to support him, David Crystal demonstrates that text messages, with all their features and peculiarities differentiating them from other contexts (eg the writing of a school homework essay...) help the understanding that language is above all about different registers interacting with each other, making thus young people way more clued on in term of language use than their previous generations.
You get it: fascinating and easy to read, witty too, a few preconceived ideas are quite turned to shred. It's a quick read, but a gr8 db8 indeed!
The never ending complaint is well known: we give in to the need for speed, and so text each others messages those grammar is butchered, mercilessly massacred, throwing thus out of the window the rules and conventions that had been established over centuries. Is it just a matter of time before those rules are all but forgotten, and the future of English (or any other language, for that matter) about 2 die just lik dat 4ever cuz no1 can spel @ all? Lol & OMG! Youngsters especially are now accused, more and more, of being completely ignorant when it comes to spelling; the blame being put on, you guess it, their digital gadgets and electronic doolalis with which they not only get their thumbs overexcited, but, also, vandalise and ransack, text messages after text messages, their poor language! The never ending complaint is well known, and yet...
David Crystal, the famous linguist, tackles here the issue; debunking, not without some quirky smirks, a few myths going around. In fact, he tells what texting really implies in terms of linguistics; and that from pictograms, logograms, ellipsis, abbreviations, initialisms, and other contractions, there's no need to panic: here's nothing new under the sun. Technology is new, but all the language plays we are dealing with certainly aren't (a reason which, actually, explains their so rapid and popular appropriation and success…). As for the rampant illiteracy rate among our poor youth (mmh?) he affirms not only that such worries are also far from new, but, also, that texting, despite the dislike of some hysterical mass medias, are just a scapegoat - and a bad one at that!
Here's the surprise: quoting studies to support him, David Crystal demonstrates that text messages, with all their features and peculiarities differentiating them from other contexts (eg the writing of a school homework essay...) help the understanding that language is above all about different registers interacting with each other, making thus young people way more clued on in term of language use than their previous generations.
You get it: fascinating and easy to read, witty too, a few preconceived ideas are quite turned to shred. It's a quick read, but a gr8 db8 indeed!
January 8, 2009
This book is not written by a cranky old man, an exasperated teacher, nor a giggly 15 year old girl twittering about her love for Twilight characters. It is written by a linguistics professor, which is what makes it so fascinating. Weighing in on the debate about whether texting is destroying the English language or whether it is a natural evolution of the language, Crystal compiles a series of compelling essays that can be devoured in one sitting. Especially interesting: the cultural differences in texting in Europe and Asia. Recommend, especially if you teach or have teenagers. I did think it was weird that the entire works cited was just web sites, though.
April 10, 2011
I am one of those people who never got into the whole texting craze, primarily because I hardly ever use my cell phone and I rarely chat with my friends online. Even when I do, I try to write in full sentences and be as clear in my prose as possible. However, I am not beyond ever condescending to the new texting abbreviations, and would occasionally pepper my chats with LOL, ROTFL, and of course ', nor would I begrudge my interlocutors when they do the same. So, I am not someone who gets too flustered with texting as such. It's texting that happens in inappropriate settings that really gets to me. I like to interact with people in various online forums, and when they write whole essays in txt-speak, and I find myself spending more time decoding what they wrote than on the content of their arguments, then I take an exception to this whole business of texting.
I am writing all this in order to give you my overall perspective on texting prior to reading this book. My attitude could be summed up as ambivalent to weary. So I decided to pick up this book and learn more about texting from a professional linguist, someone who has invested a great deal of time to study texting habits and put it in a perspective of language use and development in general. And for the most part, David Crystal does a wonderful job at that. The book is filled with nice and illuminating examples, the parallels to previous changes in our use of language were appropriate and thought provoking. The book does a great job in convincing me that there is really nothing either deviant or inappropriate about how texting came to be. And I was also convinced that people who txt are not ruining the English language nor are they hurting their own writing skills. However, the book does not deal at all with the use of texting in online discussion forums, my own personal pet peeve. But other than that, it is a very well written book. It also provides an illuminating and handy glossary of main terms, as well a list of text abbreviations from eleven different languages. These are fun to look at and an interesting glimpse into how other languages deal with texting.
If you ever have to come across texting in your daily life (and who doesn't these days), and whatever your attitude to texting may be, you could benefit from reading this interesting little book.
I am writing all this in order to give you my overall perspective on texting prior to reading this book. My attitude could be summed up as ambivalent to weary. So I decided to pick up this book and learn more about texting from a professional linguist, someone who has invested a great deal of time to study texting habits and put it in a perspective of language use and development in general. And for the most part, David Crystal does a wonderful job at that. The book is filled with nice and illuminating examples, the parallels to previous changes in our use of language were appropriate and thought provoking. The book does a great job in convincing me that there is really nothing either deviant or inappropriate about how texting came to be. And I was also convinced that people who txt are not ruining the English language nor are they hurting their own writing skills. However, the book does not deal at all with the use of texting in online discussion forums, my own personal pet peeve. But other than that, it is a very well written book. It also provides an illuminating and handy glossary of main terms, as well a list of text abbreviations from eleven different languages. These are fun to look at and an interesting glimpse into how other languages deal with texting.
If you ever have to come across texting in your daily life (and who doesn't these days), and whatever your attitude to texting may be, you could benefit from reading this interesting little book.
February 7, 2012
The book discusses texting from a linguistic standpont. Crystal identifies the linguistic mechanisms and dynamics at work in texting and places it in historical context. One chapter also gives a limited discussion of texting in other languages. If you like linguistics you will probably enjoy this book.
The primary focus of the book, however, is the common allegation that texting is destroying people's ability to write and communicate legibly. Crystal points out that (1) similar phenomena have existed throughout English history, (2) many of the reports of linguistic corruption because of texting are overblown or patently untrue.
Turning the debate on its head, he argues that texting actually has a positive influence on language skills. (1) It's difficult to break the rules or abbreviate words without some awareness of what the spelling is normally, (2) fewer people use abbreviations in their texts than is popularly thought, (3) even teens completely understand the difference between formal and informal writing, and (4) any language activity is an opportunity for practice and creativity.
I enjoyed this book because it provided a perspective contrary to what seems faddish recently. I've become weary of dramatic Postman / McLuhan-esque jeremiads on how technology is destroying us. Crystal offered a realistic linguistic evaluation of what is going on, acknowledging that people will adapt and use technology in ways that are fundamentally the same. If you want to understand his argument of the book in a few minutes, read the first and last chapters.
Highlights that were interesting to me:
-Many of the "new" linguistic dynamics aren't new at all—similar things have been happening for more than 100 years.
-People thought that literacy was in terrible decline among young people as long ago as the 1920s!
-There are real, identifiable linguistic mechanisms at work that are mirrored in other languages. On the other hand, each language evidences distinctive mechanisms stemming from distinctive phenomena in that language.
-The book was yet another confirmation that the discipline (linguistics) is sufficient to explain a wide variety of phenomena, and that technology hasn't changed anything about the fundamental dynamics at work.
The primary focus of the book, however, is the common allegation that texting is destroying people's ability to write and communicate legibly. Crystal points out that (1) similar phenomena have existed throughout English history, (2) many of the reports of linguistic corruption because of texting are overblown or patently untrue.
Turning the debate on its head, he argues that texting actually has a positive influence on language skills. (1) It's difficult to break the rules or abbreviate words without some awareness of what the spelling is normally, (2) fewer people use abbreviations in their texts than is popularly thought, (3) even teens completely understand the difference between formal and informal writing, and (4) any language activity is an opportunity for practice and creativity.
I enjoyed this book because it provided a perspective contrary to what seems faddish recently. I've become weary of dramatic Postman / McLuhan-esque jeremiads on how technology is destroying us. Crystal offered a realistic linguistic evaluation of what is going on, acknowledging that people will adapt and use technology in ways that are fundamentally the same. If you want to understand his argument of the book in a few minutes, read the first and last chapters.
Highlights that were interesting to me:
-Many of the "new" linguistic dynamics aren't new at all—similar things have been happening for more than 100 years.
-People thought that literacy was in terrible decline among young people as long ago as the 1920s!
-There are real, identifiable linguistic mechanisms at work that are mirrored in other languages. On the other hand, each language evidences distinctive mechanisms stemming from distinctive phenomena in that language.
-The book was yet another confirmation that the discipline (linguistics) is sufficient to explain a wide variety of phenomena, and that technology hasn't changed anything about the fundamental dynamics at work.
September 16, 2009
Excellent, witty and easy read - and a convincing argument. I started out as someone who hated the way text speak was apparently massacring the language ... but he won me over.
February 22, 2009
A bit academic in places, but a pretty readable "defence" of texting. Didn't talk much about the impact of texting on the developing world, but one can't have everything!
March 12, 2011
This was interesting in an anecdotal way for the first 50 pages or so. But the author really didn't have anything profound to say, and the book (published in 2008) already seems dated.
July 22, 2021
This book proves that the clamor surrounding texting being the end of language is over blown. Here are my notes:
The first experimental messages were sent in Finland in 92-93 but it didn’t take off until 2001 (4)
It took almost 10 years for carriers to figure out how to charge for it. In 2005 they made almost $70 Billion
People claimed that the printing press would lead to the end of the world by putting ideas into people’s heads (instead of them putting ideas there themselves). All new forms of communication cause this panic. But people’s hate of texting is in par with their hate of Crocs. (9)
“F u cn rd ths thn wats the problem?” (26)
There are accepted languages out there, Arabic and Hebrew, that don’t write vowels.
Back when this was written, 2008, quick responses were expected. Not anymore! (28)
There are six major features of texting, and they all predate texting:
Pictograms and Logograms :-) and B4. These are examples of rebuses which are ancient and the word comes from the Latin non verbis sed rebus or “not with words but with things”
Initialisms- pm as in 8 pm stands for post meridian and OK stands for oll korrect (those funny newspaper types, eh?)
Omitted letters- Mr. or Sgt. or dept or cm
Non-standard spelling- the OED dates cos for because to 1828 and luv for love to 1898
Shortening- phone itself is an example
Genuine novelties- he didn’t really give examples.
Chapter 4 starts with the challenges of texting with a number pad. It was like a trip down a painful lane of the memory variety
I didn’t text enough back then to know about textonyms. But if I did, I totally would have overused 2665, because it can mean both book AND cool (68)
In the early 2000s there was something called a m-novel that was written using the texting limits in mind. Back then you were charge a lot for each text and the texts would only be 260 characters. (81)
There was also cheating on a test via text. I hadn’t thought of that. Probably because I was mostly done with schooling, and didn’t have enough friends, when I got my first cellphone. (112)
Ethiopian has 345 symbols in their alphabet! (125)
The first experimental messages were sent in Finland in 92-93 but it didn’t take off until 2001 (4)
It took almost 10 years for carriers to figure out how to charge for it. In 2005 they made almost $70 Billion
People claimed that the printing press would lead to the end of the world by putting ideas into people’s heads (instead of them putting ideas there themselves). All new forms of communication cause this panic. But people’s hate of texting is in par with their hate of Crocs. (9)
“F u cn rd ths thn wats the problem?” (26)
There are accepted languages out there, Arabic and Hebrew, that don’t write vowels.
Back when this was written, 2008, quick responses were expected. Not anymore! (28)
There are six major features of texting, and they all predate texting:
Pictograms and Logograms :-) and B4. These are examples of rebuses which are ancient and the word comes from the Latin non verbis sed rebus or “not with words but with things”
Initialisms- pm as in 8 pm stands for post meridian and OK stands for oll korrect (those funny newspaper types, eh?)
Omitted letters- Mr. or Sgt. or dept or cm
Non-standard spelling- the OED dates cos for because to 1828 and luv for love to 1898
Shortening- phone itself is an example
Genuine novelties- he didn’t really give examples.
Chapter 4 starts with the challenges of texting with a number pad. It was like a trip down a painful lane of the memory variety
I didn’t text enough back then to know about textonyms. But if I did, I totally would have overused 2665, because it can mean both book AND cool (68)
In the early 2000s there was something called a m-novel that was written using the texting limits in mind. Back then you were charge a lot for each text and the texts would only be 260 characters. (81)
There was also cheating on a test via text. I hadn’t thought of that. Probably because I was mostly done with schooling, and didn’t have enough friends, when I got my first cellphone. (112)
Ethiopian has 345 symbols in their alphabet! (125)
October 28, 2019
這本書之所以出版，無非是想打破很多人的主觀認定。
自從我開始使用網際網路以來，每一年大概都會收到幾封類似的轉寄信，內容如果不是些看了叫人噴飯的爆笑作文，不然就是用一些個由次世代用語所組成、宛如謎語的文章，有人將之稱為「火星文」，一度在媒體上也引起頗熱烈廣泛的討論，很多老師、專家都以之做為立論基礎，大肆地批評這一代學生作文程度之低落，甚至使得基測宣布將重新將作文列入國文考試的項目。
他們認為現在的學生就是太習慣使用鍵盤了，以致於忘了字該怎麼寫，語文能力較上一代普遍低落，只是這一切的認定、推論所根據的究竟是什麼？科學研究還是想當然爾？會不會跟拔獅子鬃毛可以治禿頭一樣，只是些沒有根據的說法。於是世界級的語言學家克里斯托出馬了，《簡訊ing》便是透過嚴謹的學術角度來審視這樣的一個議題。
當然，他的著眼點是放在存在於美國、性質類似的簡訊文，而非台灣的火星文，然而看了書末附錄的〈超有趣的12國簡訊火星文〉，你就曉得類似的語言現象並不是台灣獨有的，只要是有文字、語言流通的地方就會發生。這本書的主題是在討論這樣一個現象，簡訊文只是一個借用的客體。
根據克教授的研究結果，簡單歸結成幾個重點：
1. 簡訊文並不是什麼新玩意。看完第3章就會曉得，在英文裡頭，許多縮寫字詞的用法其實一點都不新，有些早在一、兩百年前，甚至更早就有使用的記錄，���多用法根本是老祖宗們早早就用過了，根本不是什麼需要大驚小怪的事情。以中文來說，文言文又何嘗不是一種火星文呢？
2. 人們使用簡訊文的比例並不高。「在所有簡訊中，使用各式縮寫體的比例不到兩成--每封簡訊大約用到兩次。在某篇挪威研究中，簡訊中使用縮寫的比例，甚至降到只有6%。」很多人都看得懂或是會使用火星文，然而這並不代表他們會完全、大量地使用火星文來進行書寫，多數人都清楚這樣的文字只適合私底下應用，幾乎沒有人會在正式文書上使用。也許真的有人在公文上使用了火星文，然而個人以為那不過是個個案，只是被用放大鏡檢視罷了，而且他們真正的問題就像搞不清楚何時該穿西裝一樣，重點應放在釐清正式場合的該有的分際，而非火星文的使用。
3. 使用簡訊文並不代表語文能力差。即便用的是火星文，文字的主要目的仍不脫溝通、表達，你寫出來的東西絕不可能是寫來自爽的，總是要讓人看得懂。從結構上來看，火星文頂多算是一種文字遊戲、一種語言使用的變型，無論你怎麼變動它的結構，最終它仍是得肩負起識別的責任，它甚至比正式文書需要更多對文字的理解，有能力駕馭火星文的人，與其說這是語文能力的退化，毋寧說它是種進化。
話說回來，火星文其實比較像是一種同儕之間彼此認同的次文化用語。就好比說「5樓最中肯」這句話，要不是常上PTT的人，根本搞不清楚這是什麼意思（我也屬於丈二金剛摸不著頭緒的人之一...XD），然而對鄉民而言，這卻彷彿是一種身份的認證，懂意思的就是同一國的。和武俠小說裡秘密結社，像是三合會、天地會慣用的暗語，或是眷村小孩常會說的一些黑話，說穿了還不就是同一回事。每個世代都會流傳著一些類似世代標記的次文化用語，只不過人是種奇怪的動物，年輕的時候多半也玩過相同的文字遊戲，年紀大了卻視它們為毒蛇猛獸，只要放輕鬆去看，真的沒什麼大不了的。
January 26, 2020
2008 was such a long time ago in the history of texting. Almost all texts were done on a number pad. No wonder they abbreviated. No wonder they thought of so many weird and wonderful ways of minimising the number of characters they had to output. Texters were clever people back then. Now, they don't have to be. This was written on a phone, and yet it's as easy to type grammatically correct text here as it is on a full size keyboard. Point is, texting was different then and so this book is not so relevant now. That said, there are a few diehards that use all the abbreviations still. Good luck to 'em. Don't read this book if you're amongst them. Only read it if you are masochistic or you like to know what it was like back in the day. Then move on.
October 20, 2008
Back in 1996 when internet chatrooms were fairly new, an asocial geek in my honors English class wrote a paper on the validity of an exciting new type of language that was cropping up in chatrooms where people were regularly using abbreviated phrases like LOL (laugh out loud), ROFL (rolling on floor laughing) , and TTFN (ta ta for now). Our antiquated teacher didn't seem to know enough about what the guy was talking about to pass any judgement on it one way or the other. Half the class didn't even own a computer. And I wasn't going to admit to spending time in chat rooms.
Since then, this type of abbreviated language has made its way to text messaging on cell phones in an even larger way because of the 180-character text limitations of sending text messages via SMS (short messaging service). When you're limited to only 180 characters and you're being charged by the message, you often have to find creative ways to use the limited typing space available to you.
Many people find the abbreviated writing of text messages to be foreboding of a generation that will become unable to use English properly. Others find the abbreviations used in text messaging to be a bastardization and degradation of the language.
In the book Txting: The Gr8 Db8, linguist David Crystal attempts to show that abbreviations in language is nothing new, that the abbreviated language of text messages is creative word play, that texters know when to use proper English, and that our youngsters around the world are not taking our languages to hell in a hand basket by their alternate spellings in text messages.
The author starts out by showcasing several award-winning poems that were confined to the 180-character limitation of a text message. My very favorite was this one:
14: a txt msg pom. (14: a text message poem)
his is r bunsn brnr bl%, (his eyes are bunsen burner blue,)
his hair lyk fe filings (his hair like iron filings)
W/ac/dc going thru. (with electricity going through.)
I sit by him in kemistry, (I sit by him in chemistry,)
it splits my @oms (it splits my atoms)
wen he :-)s @ me. (when he smiles at me.)
This is clearly not a poem written by someone who doesn't know how to use the language properly. In fact, there has even been a recent phenomenon in many Asian countries of entire books being written in installments by text messaging. The language is very specific and minimalist.
The author gives many examples of how language is already full of abbreviations and plays on words. Text messaging is certainly not the first place we've seen such language usage. Previous text language and text-like language usages include:
* THE REBUS -- This is a play on words where pictures, numbers, and letters are combined to form phrases: 2 [picture of bee:] [picture of oar:] not 2 [picture of bee:] = to be or not to be
* ACRONYMS -- abbreviations that we have turned into words: NATO, NASA, NAFTA
* ALPHABETISMS -- abbreviations where we say the letters: BBC, GOP, PTA, DC
* LOGOGRAMS -- a symbol represents a word or part of a word: b4, @om, 2day
* EMOTICONS -- keyboard characters are used together to show emotions: :-) :-P (*o*)
* INITIALS -- N=no, GF=girlfriend, OMG=oh my god, PM=post meridian (first used in 1666), IOU=I owe you (first used in 1618), FYI, ASAP, SOS, PB&J
* SEMITIC LANGUAGES --often omit vowels in writing
* ABBREVIATIONS -- dept, sgt, Mrs., cm, kg, ft
* NON-STANDARD SPELLINGS -- ya, thru, nite, luv, gonna, thanx, wassup (many found in the literature of greats like Twain and Dickens)
* SHORTENINGS -- exam, phone, mon, tues, uni, bro, biog, inclu, gov, doc, max, diff, mob (short for "mobile vulgus")
* LANGUAGE PLAY -- LOL, ROFL, ROFLMAO (rolling on floor laughing my ass off
The author insists that users of abbreviated language of all sorts (including texters) consider the appropriateness of using abbreviations based on the audience's familiarity with abbreviations, the age of the audience, and the formality of the writing situation. The author also insists that there is no proof that texting has hurt classroom literacy rates. Students often find it helpful for notetaking but know not to use it for essays or assignments. In fact, a 2006-7 study at Coventry University found that students who used more abbreviations when writing text messages actually scored higher on reading and vocabulary. The reason is that a student has to know how to use the language properly before he or she can play with it and morph it. Converting regular language into an alternate language requires creativity, good visual memory, and good motor skills.
I think that anyone who enjoys linguistics and words would be interested in reading this book. If you find alternate spellings and language play to be annoying, this book might open your eyes to the creative side of it. And if you're afraid language is suffering from language abnormalities in text messages, this book might encourage you to see texting in a more positive light. Also, if you're in need of a text-language dictionary, this book has not only one in English, but also one in Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Welsh.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
Since then, this type of abbreviated language has made its way to text messaging on cell phones in an even larger way because of the 180-character text limitations of sending text messages via SMS (short messaging service). When you're limited to only 180 characters and you're being charged by the message, you often have to find creative ways to use the limited typing space available to you.
Many people find the abbreviated writing of text messages to be foreboding of a generation that will become unable to use English properly. Others find the abbreviations used in text messaging to be a bastardization and degradation of the language.
In the book Txting: The Gr8 Db8, linguist David Crystal attempts to show that abbreviations in language is nothing new, that the abbreviated language of text messages is creative word play, that texters know when to use proper English, and that our youngsters around the world are not taking our languages to hell in a hand basket by their alternate spellings in text messages.
The author starts out by showcasing several award-winning poems that were confined to the 180-character limitation of a text message. My very favorite was this one:
14: a txt msg pom. (14: a text message poem)
his is r bunsn brnr bl%, (his eyes are bunsen burner blue,)
his hair lyk fe filings (his hair like iron filings)
W/ac/dc going thru. (with electricity going through.)
I sit by him in kemistry, (I sit by him in chemistry,)
it splits my @oms (it splits my atoms)
wen he :-)s @ me. (when he smiles at me.)
This is clearly not a poem written by someone who doesn't know how to use the language properly. In fact, there has even been a recent phenomenon in many Asian countries of entire books being written in installments by text messaging. The language is very specific and minimalist.
The author gives many examples of how language is already full of abbreviations and plays on words. Text messaging is certainly not the first place we've seen such language usage. Previous text language and text-like language usages include:
* THE REBUS -- This is a play on words where pictures, numbers, and letters are combined to form phrases: 2 [picture of bee:] [picture of oar:] not 2 [picture of bee:] = to be or not to be
* ACRONYMS -- abbreviations that we have turned into words: NATO, NASA, NAFTA
* ALPHABETISMS -- abbreviations where we say the letters: BBC, GOP, PTA, DC
* LOGOGRAMS -- a symbol represents a word or part of a word: b4, @om, 2day
* EMOTICONS -- keyboard characters are used together to show emotions: :-) :-P (*o*)
* INITIALS -- N=no, GF=girlfriend, OMG=oh my god, PM=post meridian (first used in 1666), IOU=I owe you (first used in 1618), FYI, ASAP, SOS, PB&J
* SEMITIC LANGUAGES --often omit vowels in writing
* ABBREVIATIONS -- dept, sgt, Mrs., cm, kg, ft
* NON-STANDARD SPELLINGS -- ya, thru, nite, luv, gonna, thanx, wassup (many found in the literature of greats like Twain and Dickens)
* SHORTENINGS -- exam, phone, mon, tues, uni, bro, biog, inclu, gov, doc, max, diff, mob (short for "mobile vulgus")
* LANGUAGE PLAY -- LOL, ROFL, ROFLMAO (rolling on floor laughing my ass off
The author insists that users of abbreviated language of all sorts (including texters) consider the appropriateness of using abbreviations based on the audience's familiarity with abbreviations, the age of the audience, and the formality of the writing situation. The author also insists that there is no proof that texting has hurt classroom literacy rates. Students often find it helpful for notetaking but know not to use it for essays or assignments. In fact, a 2006-7 study at Coventry University found that students who used more abbreviations when writing text messages actually scored higher on reading and vocabulary. The reason is that a student has to know how to use the language properly before he or she can play with it and morph it. Converting regular language into an alternate language requires creativity, good visual memory, and good motor skills.
I think that anyone who enjoys linguistics and words would be interested in reading this book. If you find alternate spellings and language play to be annoying, this book might open your eyes to the creative side of it. And if you're afraid language is suffering from language abnormalities in text messages, this book might encourage you to see texting in a more positive light. Also, if you're in need of a text-language dictionary, this book has not only one in English, but also one in Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Welsh.
Note: While I critique both purchased and free books in the same way, I'm legally obligated to tell you I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for my review. Blah blah blah.
August 3, 2021
I rd /Txtng: The Gr8 Db8/, by David Crystal:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
Interesting book, especially the sections on multilingual and cross-language texting.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/200...
Interesting book, especially the sections on multilingual and cross-language texting.
May 28, 2017
Written in 2008 so slightly out of date. But well written and interesting.
September 18, 2018
Good for its date of writing (2006 or so) but dated now. Crystal's usual clear & witty prose.
August 11, 2019
Very helpful as research for an essay I was writing.
January 9, 2021
Slightly outdated, but quite interesting.
March 11, 2022
A bit out of date I suspect but still an intriguing survey of texting behaviour
October 16, 2008
To tell you the truth, the only part of this book I found truly useful is an appendix listing a significant number of English text abbreviations. Potential readers should take note of the fact that author David Crystal is a professor of linguistics, and so the focus of the book is on the changes - be they positive or negative or both - that the exponential growth in text messaging may or may not be making to language. Don't let that "the gr8 db8" subtitle fool you - there's very little in the way of debate in these pages (Crystal declares text messaging to be a good thing at the end of Chapter 1). It's a pretty boring read, to tell you the truth. I certainly don't see very many people, particularly young individuals, reading this with fascination or great interest.
I try to stay ahead of the crowd when it comes to technology, but I have resisted text messaging - and cell phones in general - for some time now. Having spent four years working at a helpdesk, I pretty much hate telephones; many is the time I've cursed the name of Alexander Graham Bell over the years. I do have a cell phone now, but it's only because my parents foisted one on me; unfortunately, they didn't add text messaging to their plan, so I've never really been able to play around with that technology. Working on a university campus, though, I'm certainly aware that the text messages are flying all around me all day long, and I want and need to learn more about the subject. I'm also aware, albeit tangentially, that the quality of student writing seems to be headed in the wrong direction in recent years, and I've been inclined to agree with those who blame that decline in part on the rise of text messaging. I really wanted to see a substantive debate on that question, but I just don't think this book delivered on its promise in that regard.
Among his reasons for writing this book, David Crystal talks about the lack of any such book bringing together all of the disparate academic studies and papers on text messaging vis-à-vis language. He definitely mined the research fields pretty thoroughly. Unfortunately, the continuous references to all these studies makes for some pretty dry reading for the non-academic. To make matters worse, I can't buy in to some of Crystal's findings and conclusions. For one thing, a lot of these studies involved comparatively small groups. With little to no information on the full scope of possible variables on these studies, I can't help but find them suspect. Even if the data were rock solid and reflected the analysis of much larger study groups, I question some of the author's conclusions, especially since he seemingly made up his mind early on that text messaging's positives outweigh its negatives.
While Crystal does provide a history of text messaging, lays out its unique qualities, and offers his analysis of who uses it and why, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone who just wants to learn more about text messaging in general. This is, for the most part, a dry and somewhat academic read. The chapter on text messaging in languages other than English was nothing short of an ordeal. Even if you are familiar with some of the terms in these different languages, you might want to just skip that chapter altogether.
To be sure, there are some interesting facts for readers to glean from these pages, but my feeling is that those with an interest in linguistics may be the only readers who will truly appreciate the author's efforts. The average reader may well have to grit his teeth and persevere just to make it through to the end.
I try to stay ahead of the crowd when it comes to technology, but I have resisted text messaging - and cell phones in general - for some time now. Having spent four years working at a helpdesk, I pretty much hate telephones; many is the time I've cursed the name of Alexander Graham Bell over the years. I do have a cell phone now, but it's only because my parents foisted one on me; unfortunately, they didn't add text messaging to their plan, so I've never really been able to play around with that technology. Working on a university campus, though, I'm certainly aware that the text messages are flying all around me all day long, and I want and need to learn more about the subject. I'm also aware, albeit tangentially, that the quality of student writing seems to be headed in the wrong direction in recent years, and I've been inclined to agree with those who blame that decline in part on the rise of text messaging. I really wanted to see a substantive debate on that question, but I just don't think this book delivered on its promise in that regard.
Among his reasons for writing this book, David Crystal talks about the lack of any such book bringing together all of the disparate academic studies and papers on text messaging vis-à-vis language. He definitely mined the research fields pretty thoroughly. Unfortunately, the continuous references to all these studies makes for some pretty dry reading for the non-academic. To make matters worse, I can't buy in to some of Crystal's findings and conclusions. For one thing, a lot of these studies involved comparatively small groups. With little to no information on the full scope of possible variables on these studies, I can't help but find them suspect. Even if the data were rock solid and reflected the analysis of much larger study groups, I question some of the author's conclusions, especially since he seemingly made up his mind early on that text messaging's positives outweigh its negatives.
While Crystal does provide a history of text messaging, lays out its unique qualities, and offers his analysis of who uses it and why, I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone who just wants to learn more about text messaging in general. This is, for the most part, a dry and somewhat academic read. The chapter on text messaging in languages other than English was nothing short of an ordeal. Even if you are familiar with some of the terms in these different languages, you might want to just skip that chapter altogether.
To be sure, there are some interesting facts for readers to glean from these pages, but my feeling is that those with an interest in linguistics may be the only readers who will truly appreciate the author's efforts. The average reader may well have to grit his teeth and persevere just to make it through to the end.
June 22, 2010
Why does our language have to be so specific and rigid? Who’s to say that we can’t change it as we go and still make sense of it? Our technology age has done just that. “Text Talk” as it is most commonly referred is taking over the younger students’ vocabulary and expression around the world. Words and phrases are shortened to meet the character limits of text messaging as well as to speed up the process of texting. If you think about it, it’s pretty smart! It is basically a new code developed by our younger generations to communicate.
Some scholars are in an uproar, however. They feel that this type of communication is ruining students’ vocabulary and correct use of grammar. In Crystal’s book, Txtng: The gr8 db8, David Crystal examines some ways that text talking actually enhances literacy skills rather than promoting a decline. He talks about the lack of research to back up the idea of texting as a disadvantage to our students’ literacy skills. His primary argument is that texting uses shorthand but does not alter the sentence structure. His examples of “text poetry” portray the sophistication of word choice and complexity of structure that is still intact when using text-language.
One of Crystal’s points that stuck out to me the most was that we have actually been using this type of writing for many years. Maybe not to the extent it is used today and certainly not with the technology we use today, but it has been around for a long time. For example, we have used abbreviations such as I.O.U, or M.I.A. throughout our history. Once the abbreviations were being sent via cell phones or over the Internet, people began to question its effects. Crystal is right. Why are we beginning to question this type of communication now?
I feel that text talk actually enhances the communication process and opens more avenues for communication. Some students have a hard time communicating face to face so texting allows for a less-stressful situation for these types of students. Since most texting devices have a character limit, the use of text talk helps to broaden the information that is communicated. Without text talk, the “texter” may have to eliminate some important information that is to be shared. Also, texting is more efficient than calling in some situations. I do not think that speaking over the phone and face-to-face should be eliminated, but I find texting and using text talk to be a time saving communication tool.
Crystal makes some great points throughout the book and I have to agree with him. I do not think text talk is ruining our younger generations ability to effectively communicate, in fact, I think it is enhancing it as I mentioned previously. The fact that research shows that text talk actually follows sentence form and structure tells me that these kids are practicing writing skills more frequently than ever before. I remember going through summers when I was younger without ever picking up a pen or pencil. Now, we have students writing all day, everyday, to communicate with friends. I do not see this as a problem at all.
I would rate, Txtng: the gr8 db8, with 4 out of 5 stars. I did not give a perfect score because I feel the book could have been shorter and had the same effect. The book seemed to go on forever and sometimes repeated the same information and research over and over again. I would recommend this book for teachers as well as parents. I feel that young teachers as well as older teachers could benefit from the information contained in Txtng: the gr8 db8.
Some scholars are in an uproar, however. They feel that this type of communication is ruining students’ vocabulary and correct use of grammar. In Crystal’s book, Txtng: The gr8 db8, David Crystal examines some ways that text talking actually enhances literacy skills rather than promoting a decline. He talks about the lack of research to back up the idea of texting as a disadvantage to our students’ literacy skills. His primary argument is that texting uses shorthand but does not alter the sentence structure. His examples of “text poetry” portray the sophistication of word choice and complexity of structure that is still intact when using text-language.
One of Crystal’s points that stuck out to me the most was that we have actually been using this type of writing for many years. Maybe not to the extent it is used today and certainly not with the technology we use today, but it has been around for a long time. For example, we have used abbreviations such as I.O.U, or M.I.A. throughout our history. Once the abbreviations were being sent via cell phones or over the Internet, people began to question its effects. Crystal is right. Why are we beginning to question this type of communication now?
I feel that text talk actually enhances the communication process and opens more avenues for communication. Some students have a hard time communicating face to face so texting allows for a less-stressful situation for these types of students. Since most texting devices have a character limit, the use of text talk helps to broaden the information that is communicated. Without text talk, the “texter” may have to eliminate some important information that is to be shared. Also, texting is more efficient than calling in some situations. I do not think that speaking over the phone and face-to-face should be eliminated, but I find texting and using text talk to be a time saving communication tool.
Crystal makes some great points throughout the book and I have to agree with him. I do not think text talk is ruining our younger generations ability to effectively communicate, in fact, I think it is enhancing it as I mentioned previously. The fact that research shows that text talk actually follows sentence form and structure tells me that these kids are practicing writing skills more frequently than ever before. I remember going through summers when I was younger without ever picking up a pen or pencil. Now, we have students writing all day, everyday, to communicate with friends. I do not see this as a problem at all.
I would rate, Txtng: the gr8 db8, with 4 out of 5 stars. I did not give a perfect score because I feel the book could have been shorter and had the same effect. The book seemed to go on forever and sometimes repeated the same information and research over and over again. I would recommend this book for teachers as well as parents. I feel that young teachers as well as older teachers could benefit from the information contained in Txtng: the gr8 db8.
April 23, 2009
I'm not sure what the "the gr8 db8" is. Author David Crystal sets out to dispel media reports that texting promotes the butchering of the English language and is producing teens and young adults who cannot string a coherent sentence together without the use of "textisms." However, these media reports that created this cultural generalization that texters are illiterate vandals are nothing but sensationalized reporting based on a random rumor of a student using texting abbreviations in an essay for school. The student and his/her essay are no where to be found so this story cannot be corroborated. If the information in these reports cannot be supported by evidence, I don't see how you can debate it.
Setting that aside, this book if a wealth of information regarding this instant communication that has pervaded into our culture - at all age levels. Analyzing text messages helped prosecutors by disproving an alibi, which put a killer in prison. The UK has text poetry competitions. A teenager won $25,000 in a texting competition in New York City. Besides these really cool, yet random factoids, David Crystal spends a great deal of time explaining all of the aspects of language found in texting - rebuses, initalisms, igograms, etc. - all of which have been a standard part of people embracing and utilizing language for hundreds of years. He also put a great deal of effort into researching the global texting phenomenon and even compiled textims from 11 other languages.
The most important things I took away from this book are:
1. Teenage texters are not ruining the English language nor are they turning into illiterate vandals with thumb problems.
2. Texting is revolutionizing communication, just as the printing press, telephone, television, Internet, and cell phones did before it.
Setting that aside, this book if a wealth of information regarding this instant communication that has pervaded into our culture - at all age levels. Analyzing text messages helped prosecutors by disproving an alibi, which put a killer in prison. The UK has text poetry competitions. A teenager won $25,000 in a texting competition in New York City. Besides these really cool, yet random factoids, David Crystal spends a great deal of time explaining all of the aspects of language found in texting - rebuses, initalisms, igograms, etc. - all of which have been a standard part of people embracing and utilizing language for hundreds of years. He also put a great deal of effort into researching the global texting phenomenon and even compiled textims from 11 other languages.
The most important things I took away from this book are:
1. Teenage texters are not ruining the English language nor are they turning into illiterate vandals with thumb problems.
2. Texting is revolutionizing communication, just as the printing press, telephone, television, Internet, and cell phones did before it.
August 5, 2015
Given that this book was first published in 2008, and has sat unread on my shelf since then, I expected that it would be outdated, and largely superseded by developments in technology. With the continued rise of social networking platforms that blur the distinction between text messages, online chat, and blogging, and with the move away from mobile phones with numeric keypads in favour of smartphones and tablets with touchscreens, the 160-character text message may not be around in its current form for ever.
In spite of this, David Crystal's book remains fresh largely due to its central argument that much of what appears distinctive about the linguistic forms used in text messages is not an aberrant novelty, but part of a long-established phenomenon of linguistic innovation and language play. There's not a "gr8" deal of "db8" here, and it's hard to avoid the suspicion that the book's sub-title was chosen for the opportunity it presented to use text abbreviations - indeed, the author even hints at something of the sort at one point (p. 22) - but what there is is a clear and convincing rebuttal of concerns about the possibly pernicious influence of text message language on literacy.
Ultimately, Txtng is less a book than an extended article padded out with the help of a largely unnecessary glossary and two redundant appendices of text abbreviations in English and eleven other languages (these sections taking up 53 of the 229 pages), but it is interesting and well-argued, and Crystal's conclusion that teachers need to equip learners with the ability to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate contexts for the use of any language variety, not just the language of text messages, is a compelling one.
In spite of this, David Crystal's book remains fresh largely due to its central argument that much of what appears distinctive about the linguistic forms used in text messages is not an aberrant novelty, but part of a long-established phenomenon of linguistic innovation and language play. There's not a "gr8" deal of "db8" here, and it's hard to avoid the suspicion that the book's sub-title was chosen for the opportunity it presented to use text abbreviations - indeed, the author even hints at something of the sort at one point (p. 22) - but what there is is a clear and convincing rebuttal of concerns about the possibly pernicious influence of text message language on literacy.
Ultimately, Txtng is less a book than an extended article padded out with the help of a largely unnecessary glossary and two redundant appendices of text abbreviations in English and eleven other languages (these sections taking up 53 of the 229 pages), but it is interesting and well-argued, and Crystal's conclusion that teachers need to equip learners with the ability to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate contexts for the use of any language variety, not just the language of text messages, is a compelling one.
February 25, 2012
*lol & lrn*
Although critics have panicked and seen "text-ese" as a sign that language (and the young users of it) are rapidly devolving, Crystal presents a convincing argument for how texting is actually "language in evolution." He explores how many of the often criticized features of texting--its pictograms, logograms, initialisms, abbreviations, and non-standard spellings--have been a part of linguistic development since the first word was written. He also shows how texting not only follows a similar path of development to other languages over time, but its inherencies of being quick, convenient, focused, personal, multi-tasking-friendly, empowering, and, of course fun, allow communication to be taken to new levels of creativity and function. Adding ample ammunition the gr8t txt db8t, Crystal's book offers well-supported pro-texting arguments, entertaining texting excerpts, and (often not-so-entertaining) lists and tables of texting usages in over 11 languages. Imho (in my humble opinion), readers seeking a light look at texting may say iooh (I'm out of here) when this book starts getting too technical, but language lovers will likely devour every word of this book.
Although critics have panicked and seen "text-ese" as a sign that language (and the young users of it) are rapidly devolving, Crystal presents a convincing argument for how texting is actually "language in evolution." He explores how many of the often criticized features of texting--its pictograms, logograms, initialisms, abbreviations, and non-standard spellings--have been a part of linguistic development since the first word was written. He also shows how texting not only follows a similar path of development to other languages over time, but its inherencies of being quick, convenient, focused, personal, multi-tasking-friendly, empowering, and, of course fun, allow communication to be taken to new levels of creativity and function. Adding ample ammunition the gr8t txt db8t, Crystal's book offers well-supported pro-texting arguments, entertaining texting excerpts, and (often not-so-entertaining) lists and tables of texting usages in over 11 languages. Imho (in my humble opinion), readers seeking a light look at texting may say iooh (I'm out of here) when this book starts getting too technical, but language lovers will likely devour every word of this book.
June 25, 2009
central premise: txt language is not as unusual nor as widespread as you might think, and it's not about to destroy the english language, kthx. i knew this, but it was interesting to read some statistical backup and linguistic analysis. the most interesting parts of this book were about txt poetics (analysing the results of some txtmsg poetry competitions), and looking at abbreviations in other languages & among bilingual populations. this book also introduced me to vocab for the pairs of words that are created by the same sequence of numbers in predictive text systems: 'textonyms' or 'homonumeric words' (recent favourite: friend txted me that her colleague would make me a list of fairy free eating establishments in nyc).
a favourite poem, that reminded me of another friend:
The wet rustle of rain
can dampen today. Your text
buoys me above oil-rainbow puddles
like a paper boat, so that even
soaked to the skin
I am grinning.
(Ben Ziman-Bright)
a favourite poem, that reminded me of another friend:
The wet rustle of rain
can dampen today. Your text
buoys me above oil-rainbow puddles
like a paper boat, so that even
soaked to the skin
I am grinning.
(Ben Ziman-Bright)
January 8, 2013
I'm a total geek when it comes to English Language and I'm slowly working my way through David Crystal's books. This was one that really interested me as text speak is something that really grates, but is also something I used a lot in my teens! This book really gives a great insight to the language used in text messages across the world and sums up how text speak is really just another form of abbreviation - something people have been using for years when it comes to other forms of writing and communication. I found the information about texting in other languages really interesting as it really demonstrates how we all play with language, something which Crystal sees as a positive and I tend to agree. Some of the points felt a little outdated as texting is constantly evolving, but definitely an interesting read.
May 11, 2015
"The popular belief is that texting has evolved as a twenty-first-century phenomenon – as a highly distinctive graphic style, full of abbreviations and deviant uses of language, used by a young generation that doesn’t care about standards. There is a widely voiced concern that the practice is fostering a decline in literacy. And some even think it is harming language as a whole . . . Yet all the evidence suggests that belief in an impending linguistic disaster is a consequence of a mythology largely created by the media . . . Texting language is no different from other innovative forms of expression that have emerged in the past. It is a type of language whose communicative strengths and weaknesses need to be appreciated . . . [it] is the latest manifestation of the human ability to be linguistically creative and to adapt language to suit the demands of diverse settings."
February 21, 2016
As ever, Crystal is interesting and insightful to read, and this book is fairly accessible, even to those outside the field. The main issue with the book is that it is out of date - of course, this is no reflection on Crystal but a reflection on the speed of the development of the technology, which he refers to within the book many times. This book cannot accurately tell one about the current state of texting - he talks about phones with the 1-9 keypad, and does not discuss the effects of modern QWERTY keypad phones, and other such features that affect how people now text. Also, the statistics of who and how many people text will also be out of date. However, a lot can be learned about the origin and early years of texting, and should still be of interest to those who wish to look into it in more detail, who want to know more about texting as a phenomenon, and who enjoy Crystal's work.
June 5, 2015
Does feel a bit dated already. It was alright. Nothing overly bad about it, but nothing particularly impressive about it either. I have heard plenty of people say texting is destroying literacy and this book would seem to argue (somewhat successfully) that such is not the case. While I am not a teen and do not text with a lot of teens, I found I had never seen most of the abbreviated forms used in the examples in a text message. And by most I mean 85% and probably more ... which makes me wonder just how wide spread they are.
On the whole an interesting look at the linguistic side of texting, but not Crystal's best book that I've read. Unless you have some strong interest in the subject (and even then look for something newer), give this one a pass.
On the whole an interesting look at the linguistic side of texting, but not Crystal's best book that I've read. Unless you have some strong interest in the subject (and even then look for something newer), give this one a pass.
July 14, 2012
The author of this book has an interesting, and positive, view on the texting phenomenon. Crystal explores who texts (not merely teens), but also examines the frequency of initialisms, shortenings,nonstandard spellings and other linguistic behavior commonly held to be created by text, behavior which actually has great historical depth. He also addresses, and dispels common myths about how texting is destroying the English language. The book also includes an interesting chapter on texting in other languages. The book is an excellent reality check and a positive insight into an innovative communication medium.
March 12, 2013
This book is the first to take an in-depth look at the linguistics of texting. It deals comprehensively with many different languages, and the examples it gives are quite enlightening, sometimes entertaining. I agree with Professor David Crystal's argument that there is nothing to fear from texting. It does not degrade or destroy people linguistic abilities. As long as people are producing language, it can only be good for linguistic development. Texting is a worry only for people who don't understand its nature. And the best way to understand texting is this: Do it. Join the club and start texting!
Read
July 21, 2021An unexpected defense of texting from David Crystal, who has enjoyed with a long, fruitful and distinguished career in linguistics--his Shakespeare's Words (New York: Penguin, 2002) is a staple in my personal and classroom libraries . This is basically a scholarly paper arguing that texting is in fact a path toward greater literacy and not a collective slide into functional illiteracy. Mr. Crystal marshals impressive evidence to support his argument, and at least some of it struck me, as superfluous. My primary reservation about this book is the edition, which, at least in the trade paperback edition I have, is shoddily designed and reproduced.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews