Texting and Language

Texting has become a large part of our lives and something that we heavily rely on in terms of both communication and entertainment. As a result of this major influence, it can be argued that this has made a difference on our linguistic abilities. Some may say that as a result of the nature of "text speech" which includes abbreviations and casual grammar, people's spelling ability decreases. David Crystal and John McWhorter, despite their different interpretations, both disagree with this idea.

Crystal believes that texting has played a beneficial role in terms of language and particularly with the youth population. He points out his fascination with their ability to essentially develop a new form of communication based on a technological advancement. He regards it as development and evolution of the English language.  To take this ever further, he believes it has even improved their school performances. McWhorter on the other hand, focuses on pointing out that it does not have a negative impact and should not be seen as the leading cause of poor spelling and lack of grammar. He stresses that texting is a form of communication that is not the same as writing. McWhorter reminds us that those who abbreviate in text do know how to spell and write correctly, however use this form of writing in this particular type of communicating.

Both theories share similar base concepts, however the most prominent difference is Crystal's belief that texting is beneficial to language in comparison to McWhorter who is simply concerned with showing that it does not play a negative role. In terms of reasoning, both discuss the fact that people who abbreviate in text know the correct spelling of the words. Both, and particularly McWhorter, draw attention to the fact that texting is a form of communication in that circumstance only and not when it comes to professional or scholastic tasks. It is important for both of them to draw attention to the fact that spelling issues are not recent and only in the wake of texting. They both mention that texting is widely used by both adults and youth and therefore it should have no link with lower school marks. Both Crystal and McWhorter bring up examples of abbreviations that are commonly used, which allows them to demonstrate the unique development of language.

Despite the aforementioned similarities, there are some noticeable difference between the two theories. Most importantly, Crystal believes that the regular use of texting provides practice for writing and reading and thereby improves linguistic ability. McWhorter simply expresses that texting does not decrease linguistic ability, however does not imply that it improves it. Also, Crystal constantly mentions many abbreviations and discusses them in great detail. McWhorter alludes to them occasionally but is not heavily reliant on them and their variations. It can be said that Crystal has extensive knowledge in the effects of texting on linguistic, while McWhorter is not as in depth. McWhorter's theory can be considered a call not to stress the concept of texting and to disprove the theory that it negatively impacts spelling and grammar. On the other hand, Crystal enthusiastically advocates for the positive impacts of texting. He expresses his support for what can be considered an evaluation in language.