The joy of txt

It seems that there's no shortage of newspaper articles about the language of text messaging these days, and frequently the focus is on the impact that 'text speak' is having on the literacy skills of young people. Signifcantly more rare, however, are such articles that actually consider the influence of 'text speak' from a positive angle. In this article that featured in yesterday's Daily Mail (not normally known for its liberal approach to this sort of debate), the writer discusses a study which claims that text messaging can actually help young people's literacy skills.

One of the psychologists conducting the study claims that 'children's use of textisms is not only positively associated with word reading ability, but may be contributing to reading development.' Addressing the issue that seems to be at the heart of fears over the corrupting influence of text messaging, Dr Beverley Plester goes on to say that 'children text in a type - or register - of language which is supposed to keep the grown up out. As a general rule they do not use text language in their schoolwork'. So the language of texting is as much about in-group identity as it is about economy and speed. Interestingly, the study observes that girls use 'textisms' more than boys do, and it might be interesting to ask why. Does this suggest that girls are conforming to the stereotype that females generally use langauge for social purposes, while for males langauge is generally referential? Or does it mean that girls are more adept at mastering a new linguistic code such as 'text speak'?

I'm interested to hear what you think about the views expressed in this article. If you're an A2 student this is exactly the kind of text that you might see on your ENA6 paper in the summer... but let us know what you think even if you're not an A2 student.