Txting is Gr8
How old should kids be to receive a phone for the first time? In the article “2b or Not 2b?”, professor David Crystal writes about how text messaging has changed people’s way of communicating as well as abbreviating becoming a norm in today’s society. Texting is continuing to become a very controversial topic in today’s society. The public, usually older generations, may argue that texting has made the English language decline and cause more people to become illiterate; although, Crystal disagrees with those people by arguing that it actually increases literacy. Crystal believes, along with myself, that while texting and using abbreviations is still developing, it is creative and beneficial.
From where both texting and abbreviations started, to where they are currently, has changed dramatically. Texting became popular during the early 1990s. According to Crystal, “The average number of texts per GSM customer in 1995 was 0.4 per month; by the end of 2000 it was still only 35” (336). Basically, Crystal is saying texting started out slow, but after word got around and cell phones became more common, texting widely increased. Abbreviations have been in use since the 1600s. As texting grew, so did abbreviations. I think texting has changed communicating for the better. Today, texting is a prime way of communicating because it is easy and fast; therefore, texting has become the way most of society communicates.
As abbreviations grow, the people texting become more creative with making them up. In Crystal’s view, “Sadly, its creative potential has been virtually ignored” (345). I believe that it takes a certain skill to be able to create an abbreviation. To be able to come up with a abbreviation you have to have a strong vocabulary that you are abbreviating. My feelings are mixed on the issue. I do support Crystal’s position that abbreviated words help communicate easier, but I do understand the people’s argument that think abbreviating words cuts them down too far to where readers cannot understand the word. In my opinion, sometimes words can be too abbreviated. The confusion comes when the one sending the text may understand the word but the one receiving the text may not understand. Many people think that abbreviating words came after texting, but abbreviating came long before texting was invented and has just expanded since. I’m sure no one could have ever thought this is where the English writing could have gone. People spend so much time teaching and learning the English language for people later to just shorten the expressions. As time goes on, people get more creative by making new and improved abbreviations.
Using text message to communicate as well as abbreviations is beneficial to children. By proving with studies done by other people, texting isn’t developing lower literacy awareness but actually improving reading and writing scores. Crystal states, “... and the younger they receive their first phone, the higher their scores” (345). On one hand, people argue that texting and abbreviating, while younger, hurts the literacy of the child. On the other hand, studies contend by linking text language and skills of success in English in pre-teenage children (345). My own view agrees with the studies. I am currently a teen and I can agree that in some cases texting has helped my literacy. Therefore, I do agree that students should get phones as children for multiple reasons; I still maintain the belief that more studies may come along to change my opinion in the future.
In “2b or Not 2b” I agree with professor David Crystal and his argument. Both Crystal and I think that texting and using abbreviations is still developing as well as creative and beneficial. As some studies have shown, we are correct for allowing people to use texting and all it entails after seeing the ties between better test score and texting. For all of these reasons and many more children should get cell phones when young because they promote kids’ literacy and success.
Works Cited
Crystal, David. "2b or Not 2b?" They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 335-348. Print.
How old should kids be to receive a phone for the first time? In the article “2b or Not 2b?”, professor David Crystal writes about how text messaging has changed people’s way of communicating as well as abbreviating becoming a norm in today’s society. Texting is continuing to become a very controversial topic in today’s society. The public, usually older generations, may argue that texting has made the English language decline and cause more people to become illiterate; although, Crystal disagrees with those people by arguing that it actually increases literacy. Crystal believes, along with myself, that while texting and using abbreviations is still developing, it is creative and beneficial.
From where both texting and abbreviations started, to where they are currently, has changed dramatically. Texting became popular during the early 1990s. According to Crystal, “The average number of texts per GSM customer in 1995 was 0.4 per month; by the end of 2000 it was still only 35” (336). Basically, Crystal is saying texting started out slow, but after word got around and cell phones became more common, texting widely increased. Abbreviations have been in use since the 1600s. As texting grew, so did abbreviations. I think texting has changed communicating for the better. Today, texting is a prime way of communicating because it is easy and fast; therefore, texting has become the way most of society communicates.
As abbreviations grow, the people texting become more creative with making them up. In Crystal’s view, “Sadly, its creative potential has been virtually ignored” (345). I believe that it takes a certain skill to be able to create an abbreviation. To be able to come up with a abbreviation you have to have a strong vocabulary that you are abbreviating. My feelings are mixed on the issue. I do support Crystal’s position that abbreviated words help communicate easier, but I do understand the people’s argument that think abbreviating words cuts them down too far to where readers cannot understand the word. In my opinion, sometimes words can be too abbreviated. The confusion comes when the one sending the text may understand the word but the one receiving the text may not understand. Many people think that abbreviating words came after texting, but abbreviating came long before texting was invented and has just expanded since. I’m sure no one could have ever thought this is where the English writing could have gone. People spend so much time teaching and learning the English language for people later to just shorten the expressions. As time goes on, people get more creative by making new and improved abbreviations.
Using text message to communicate as well as abbreviations is beneficial to children. By proving with studies done by other people, texting isn’t developing lower literacy awareness but actually improving reading and writing scores. Crystal states, “... and the younger they receive their first phone, the higher their scores” (345). On one hand, people argue that texting and abbreviating, while younger, hurts the literacy of the child. On the other hand, studies contend by linking text language and skills of success in English in pre-teenage children (345). My own view agrees with the studies. I am currently a teen and I can agree that in some cases texting has helped my literacy. Therefore, I do agree that students should get phones as children for multiple reasons; I still maintain the belief that more studies may come along to change my opinion in the future.
In “2b or Not 2b” I agree with professor David Crystal and his argument. Both Crystal and I think that texting and using abbreviations is still developing as well as creative and beneficial. As some studies have shown, we are correct for allowing people to use texting and all it entails after seeing the ties between better test score and texting. For all of these reasons and many more children should get cell phones when young because they promote kids’ literacy and success.
Works Cited
Crystal, David. "2b or Not 2b?" They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 335-348. Print.