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Nick Morgan Contributor
ForbesWoman6/23/2014 10:46AM
The Importance Of Being Fluent In
The Language Of Texting
Can we tlk?
On the eve of the Battle of Bull Run, Major Sullivan
Ballou of the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers wrote to his wife about his fears of
dying (justified as things turned out) in the coming battle.
“I shall always be near you; in the brightest day and in
the darkest night—amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours—always,
always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath;
or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.
Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet
again.”
They don’t write ‘em like that anymore.
A little more than 60 years later, the major might have
confided: “rly scrd. mite not mk it. luv u. C u on otr side.”
There is wide concern that eloquence has fallen victim to
expediency, that the thoughtful phrase has been replaced by the fascicle
contraction, that communication is suffering, and that texting bears the brunt
of the blame. In a 2012 study published in the journal New Media
& Society, researchers at Wake Forest University
found a correlation between the use of SMS-abbreviations and the increasing
inability among students to identify and use correct grammar; the more texts
the 10-to-14-year-olds in the study sent, the worse their grammar
performance. “Sometimes it’s like there are two languages in your head,”
the teenaged daughter of a close friend recently told me. “The language you use
for texting and the language you use for homework.” And although a 2013 study
published in the journal Linguistics
and Translation concluded that most users are “context
conscious,” and are adept at switching from text speak to writing that calls
for more formality, is it any wonder the two sometimes intersect?
If conversation is an art, art takes practice. Today,
that practice time is used up screen-to-screen, rather than face-to-face or
through composing a well-constructed letter. And yet the reports of the death
of eloquent expression may be greatly exaggerated. If we look at what the age
of digital information—and texting and other forms of digital shorthand in
particular—has done to the art of interpersonal communication, all is not lost.
It’s just different. And in some world-changing ways: better.
Language has a rich history of evolution. It is not meant
to be stagnant. Writing, at an estimated 5,000 years old, is itself is a mere
babe compared to language, which traces back at least 80,000 years. Each year,
new words are added to the dictionary to represent the changing nature of
language—150 last year
alone, including three explicitly linked to texting culture: srsly
(text speak for “seriously”), emoji (the emoticons and smileys used often in
text messages), and TL:DR (short for “Too long, didn’t read.”) Just as writing
became a new way of expressing language all those thousands of years ago,
texting is a new form of expression entirely representative of the way we
communicate today—that is, quickly, economically, and on the go. As such, it is
no better or worse than the introduction of email before it or the telegram
before that. Just different.
There is reason to believe that the fluency text speak
requires of people is helping to make them adaptable in a world that is
dominated by fast-paced, tech-heavy startups; a world that requires
adaptability in order to survive and thrive. Language is about delivering
information, and throughout history we have needed to adjust to mediums and people
if we want to be understood. Recently, a friend my age texted; “Running late
see u lunch 1215 diner” The punctuation was abominable; there was no syntax to
speak of. And yet I knew what she meant.
There are other benefits. Studies also show that texting can
enable those who are shy or lack confidence to be more socially
outgoing, and that texting may help foster an increase in
emotional expression. It’s true that texting may reduce the
boundaries and make saying what we mean easier; that’s not always a bad thing,
whether for the man too shy to tell his new girlfriend how he feels or the
colleague too meek to stand up in person to the office bully. Some schools have
begun using texting as a way to help encourage students to participate more in
class. In one case
study, students who were less likely to speak up in discussions in
class were far more likely to respond in discussions conducted via text. Research
published in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology found
texting could actually have a positive impact on reading and language
development. “Text speak”, the study found, correlates with higher
reading ability. Another bonus? Teens accustomed to correcting messages before
sending them become better
self-editors.
It’s true: Conversational atrophy can morph into
rudeness. We all have stories. Mine is about the future son-in-law of a good
friend; described as bright, funny, and interesting. He showed none of that at
a recent family gathering because he spent most of the evening fixated, like a
snake on a chipmunk, on the glowing screen of his smartphone. It seems it was
draft night in his fantasy football league, and he needed a running back. When
I asked him about it, he was surprised that anyone thought he was rude. He was
listening, he said. Just multitasking.
While it may not often seem like it, texting does have
its own etiquette and set of rules, if loose. There will always be those who
disregard the rules of etiquette, no matter the forum. But by and large,
technology has not ruined expression. It has empowered it—no different than
when we put down the quill pen and picked up the telephone.
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In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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In addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the book and content excerpts at:
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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