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Summary Of David Crystal Or Not 2b

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In the article “2b or Not 2b” by David Crystal, he explains why he thinks texting will not destroy language. He infers that texting adds a new facet to communication. Crystal starts by establishing an opposing argument in the introduction when he mentions John Humphrys’ “I h8 txt msgs: How texting is wrecking our language” (335). One can deduce from the title of the article—and Humphrys’ description of texters as “vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbors 800 years ago.” (335)—that Humphrys does not support texting. Crystal goes on to mention John Sutherland, another man who describes texting as “bleak, bald, sad shorthand. Drab shrinktalk … Linguistically it’s all pig’s ear … it masks dyslexia, poor spelling and mental laziness. Texting is penmanship for illiterates.” …show more content…

Texting has grown exponentially since then, but texting does not necessarily hinder literacy. Crystal argues, “Although many texters enjoy breaking linguistic rules, they also know they need to be understood,” (337). When the messages are longer, more abbreviations tend to be used. He references a study that has proven that the number of abbreviations in a text message has resulted in higher scores on reading and vocabulary tests. According to Crystal, you have to know how letters relate to sounds throughout language to write

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