Texting has been brand new for the last twenty years. It is our latest way of communication and can be controversial in many ways. I would like to speak to the High schoolers who are learning how to become better writers and readers. In our generation the phone and many other electronic devices were invented. We have Apple's new iPhone 10 and many other devices at the tips of our fingers. This has made many of the older generations doubt these new devices are helping rather than hindering our educations and lifestyle choices. A man named David Crystal wrote an article about how texting is beneficial for our communication. Crystal stated “Adults who condemn a ‘c u’ in a young person’s texting have forgotten that they once did the same things themselves (though not on a mobile phone).”(Crystal, 2016, P. #902) Abbreviations have been used even before texting came about. It has been found in online chat rooms and even in some paper forms. Abbreviations have become so much a part of our daily living that words like fridge, bus, and exam have their own meanings to us now. Texting has made us become better at being able to form coherent sentences. You wouldn’t try to text your mom to remind her to get groceries if you weren’t trying to communicate your request clearly. Texting is teaching us how to communicate clearer and more efficiently. Crystal adds “There is increasing evidence that it helps rather than hinders literacy. And only a very tiny part of it uses a distinctive
In the article, Crystal states that, “English has had abbreviated words ever since it began to be written down” (339). Some abbreviations have become their own words over the years. First, I feel worried about that. As one of my classmate said, “ As a foreign speaker of language, it is already hard to grasp the language as it is right now, but if it were to transform into an abbreviated form, it would take double the effort just to keep up with all the
In Michaela Cullington’s essay titled, “Does Texting Affect Writing?” the author tests the ongoing question of how today’s youth handles the effects of texting in the education system. Using successful evidence from both sides of the argument as well as participating in her own experiment, Cullington is able to fully demonstrate how texting does not interfere with today’s students and their abilities to write formally in the classroom.
Texting is harming the ability for this current generation of children to write in a formal manner. “Digitalk” is what Kristen Hawley Turner of Fordham University calls, text-speak.For example, many teens will text “g2g” in replace of the actual words “got to go”.In my opinion, texting is ruining students’ abilities to write a formal essay,letter,etc.
We as a society are evolving with each generation to come. We are getting stronger, faster, and smarter. Just as cell phones are no longer square blocks with numbers on them and TV’s are not in black and white, writing itself has also evolved. Once upon a time many wrote and spoke in a Shakespearean form of language and over the years it has evolved into something we call modern English. In recent years, technology has advanced greatly and cell phones have become one of our primary use of communication. With cell phones came a new form of writing called text messaging. Text messaging is used to send short, concise messages to anyone around the world. Often times text messages involve the use of abbreviations which stand for different things and also involves frequent use of emoji’s as a form of expression. This form of writing is now considered informal writing and is not acceptable in academic settings. In Michaela Cullington’s essay “Does Texting Affect Writing?” she touches on both sides of whether texting is hindering students writing or if it’s actually having a positive effect. She then makes is clear that she believes most students are educated enough to know when text speak is appropriate and when it’s not so therefore it has no effect on students. Although, I agree with her thesis, she lacks credibility due to her insufficient evidence. In addition, I also believe
Texting has fast become the preferred form of communication for young adults; however, students need to be dissuaded from texting during class because of the result in loss of valuable class time, lack of effective communication skills, and consistent use of improper English leading to a negative impact on students’ learning.
After reading Texting and Writing, by Michaela Cullington, I do not agree with many of her viewpoints. Cullington argues that texting does not affect a students writing. Textspeak, the abbreviation and shortening of words like used when writing a text message, does affect the way a student writes because they use the abbreviations, and their writings tend to lack punctuation. When a writer uses excessive abbreviations on a regular basis they can get stuck in the writer’s head causing them to use them in all of their writings. Cullington did make good points of her own opinion on texting and writing in her piece, but I disagree with her and believe that texting and
There has been claims that texting can adversely affect students’ formal writing skills. Michaela Cullington, author of “Does Texting Affect Writing”, responds to these claims by saying that texting does not affect students’ formal writing but helps them improve it. She mentions that texting teaches students’ how to write concisely, students’ know that textspeak is only appropriate when texting and not when writing formally, and that texting allows students’ to have a casual setting to practice their writing which help improve their formal writing. All of Cullington’s arguments are invalid; texting does harm students’ formal writing in multiple ways such as: writing texts “concisely” is not beneficial since students will forget how to expand
Throughout “Does Texting Affect Writing?” words such as textspeak, communication, writing, writing abilities, students and teenagers are
She interviews seven students and two teachers from different high schools and colleges with a list of question about the impact of texting on writing. She also put her effort on analyzing student writing samples for instances of textspeak. In addition, her research suggests that there's no response about texting has a bad influence on formal writing from both students and teachers. Thus, students are able to "recognize the difference between texting friends and writing formally and know what is appropriate in each situation" as well as textspeak is not bleeding into academic or professional writing. I agree with her on this point. Still, there are many younger generations in Middle school who starts texting in short and addicted to it. As short-texting is new to those young teenagers, they are pretty excited to communicate by texting with friends without awareness. And if middle school is where students can practice in construct sentences and organize ideas, will texting impacts them on formal writing and will it cause
In recent discussion of, “Does Texting Affects Writing” by Michaela Cullington, one view is that texting has a negative impact on teens and their writing. Cullington shows both sides of what students, teachers, and professors have to say about the issue of texting; yet after research this belief may not prove to be true. Then she writes about personal experience regarding the issue.
The subject of how technology is changing written English is a touchy subject; many people believe that our current technology is allowing us to become lazy. Text messaging being the ultimate reason we are taking so many short cuts when it comes to writing proper English. There are so many abbreviated words and meanings in text messaging, I sometimes find myself confused when I receive messages from people that I have to google what they are trying to say. I don’t want to respond and assume I know what they are trying say.
Thesis statement: In this paper, I will discuss how the frequent use of text messaging by teens today negatively affects literacy and I will offer suggestions that parents and teachers can implement and teach in order to raise reading, writing, and vocabulary skills.
The focus of my essay is to talk about how text messaging is affecting literacy in teenagers. In my paper I am going to include some background on text messaging and how in the recent years it has affected the education of many students. I will include statists from various professors who have written books or conducted studies that will support my topic.
Many will argue that children and teens especially will not know when to use “textisms,” and that texting is only a distraction to learning. That they cannot differentiate between the important messages where formality is key, and the times where they are not being judged or critiqued on every spelling and grammar mistake. This is a common misconception, as a 2006 study by two professors at Coventry University in Britain found that teen students seem to switch easily between text messaging and Standard English. This is most likely because that generation was not introduced to texting speak while they were learning the English language taught in pre school and elementary school. Although
We use abbreviations and emoji’s to get our point across. As college students we send so many texting messages that we do not realize that we hold on to those habits of using incorrect spelling and full sentences. Using this way of communication so often has caused college students to carry it over to formal writing projects. Texting is another form of writing, some would believe that it will help with our writing skills but at the same time it making us lose our depth when it comes to writing. Students don’t use a much detail when it comes to writing papers. Grammar gets affected and we get in the habit of abbreviating our words which do not help enhance our writing at all. This articles just goes through saying that texting reflects on a lot more than just students language skills.