Mengze 1

Mengze Zhang
Samantha Kirby
English 106
October 5, 2016

A WeChat Dialogue Triggered by the video

Minnie: Hey, HRU?
Kitty: OMG long time no see! SUP?
Minnie: Today I want to talk you ABT a video on BBCs Its Only a Theory ABT
Professor David Crystals interview.
Kitty: Do you means the linguistics professor who study texting and written a book
about textingDavid Crystal? I love him!
Minnie: LOL! Before the opining, I think you must interested in this texting: I had 2
get up 1 hr rly dis mrn. Y dont we leave de clox alone? I h8 gordon brown.
Kitty: 2EZ! I had to get up one hour early this morning. Why dont we leave the
clocks alone? I hate golden brown. OMG! Y Im too smart to understand QIKly?
Minnie: GR8! It is the problem, lots of texting problems have appeared IRL.
Kitty: What do U meaning?
Minnie: We used a lot of abbreviations on our texts even in Wechat for now. Im afraid
I will use these abbreviations in essays and examinations like a habit.
Kitty: AFAIC Y R thinking too much. Look! Y only change one or two words into
abbreviations, it does not a big deal. People always know that they should use the
right form in the formal writing.
Minnie: But I still worried this kind of phenomenon will lead to serious consequences.
Maybe I will FGT the real spelling and become an illiterate one day.

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Kitty: AYS? You will not even know how to write leave out letters if you do not know
the truly spelling. Whatever, I GG to a party, WYWH, TTUL~
Minnie: KK, CUL!

Social problems caused by Texting abbreviations

Description and Explanation: Language shifts in Crystal video

With the development of the science and technology, texting becomes one of the
stylish communication methods for us to keep in touch with each other. We almost do
one thing every day is to send text messages even during this busy and tense social
life. To some extent, our lives have been inseparable from the message. Text message
is changing our lives quietly and generates many new things like abbreviations to
make our life become rich and colorful. Just as a coin has two sides, abbreviations is a
double-edged sword. Many people believed that the influence of abbreviations on
teenagers is twofold like the above dialogue talking about.
Before the opening, I want to introduction David Crystal, a professor of
linguistics who has already study texting for the least 32 years and has already written
a book about texting, used to propose a theory that Texting is good for the English
language on BBCs Its Only a Theory. In the original video, Crystal uses many
formal languages to prove his arguments. However, as I am adapting this to a WeChat
format talking to my friend, I used more casual language to make our chatting more
interesting and changed a lot of details to suit this format like transfers the formal
language into spoken language, change from third to first person and make the form
of data become concretize.
Firstly, I rewrote Most young people recognize that text language is
inappropriate in the context of formal assignments to People always know that they

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should use the right form in the formal writing. Here, you can see that I changed
context of formal assignments to formal writing and so on, which is more likely
what someone would say in spoken form. Because it is just a daily chat and the
atmosphere

should

be

more

relaxed.

Secondly, I rewrote Since kids are leaving letters out, they don't know how to
spell. This poor spelling finds its way into essays and examinations will leading to a
generation of illiterates to Im afraid I will use these abbreviations in essays and
examinations like a habit. Maybe I will FGT the real spelling and become an illiterate
one day. Actually I think the most important change here is changing the kids to I.
The reason I did this is that the object of Crystals talk is about all the teenagers, but if
I change the object of talking to myself it may help to build empathy engagement and
realism. People will take things seriously in this case.
Thirdly, I rewrote In fact, only around 10% of words used in text messages are
abbreviated. to Y only change one or two words into abbreviations, it does not a big
deal. Here, I rewrite the authoritative research data 10% into the straightforward
one or two. Although the data is very authoritative, it is not closely related to our
daily life in fact. But if I put data into our conversation and come to the conclusions
one or two, this will help people to understand it does not a big deal more intuitive
and clearly.
Nowadays, texting have already become one of the most common ways for
information communication and interpersonal communication due to its convenient,
quick timeliness and cheap, and also become an integral part of teenagers daily life.
Teenagers always not content with the traditional interpersonal communication
language pattern and keep on innovation to pursuit for new which makes the

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languages and ways between teenagers become more and more variable. In this case,
abbreviations comes into being. Abbreviations are a kind of new language that was
developed for texting messages. It helps people type less letters and greatly reduced
the time. For example, I use a lot of common abbreviations on my re-write like
SUP, LOL, OMG, CUL and so on that people can understand it without a
moments thought. Actually there are more not common abbreviations in our life such
as AFAIC, AYS and TTUL which means As far as I concerned, Are you
serious? and talk to you later. Because abbreviations are appear in the test message
and most abbreviations are used only in certain situations. We still have to say the
complete sentence to express ideas clearly as Crystal does not use abbreviations when
he is speaking. But as abbreviations are used more and more widely, people can
quickly and easily understand the meaning of abbreviations. Just like Kittys
surprised, why I am so smart that I can understand them so quickly!
As for teenagers, they think that it is cool to using abbreviations when texting,
that is why they almost all using abbreviations fill their text messages to make their
text messages become complete but also abbreviated. Although Crystal list a data to
prove his point that according to the study show that there are only around 10% of
the words used in text messages are abbreviated, the data are come from all the studies
that have been done over the last five or six years. Put simply, just like Kitty says Y
only change one or two words into abbreviations, it does not a big deal. Which
means that most of the words are in standard spell in English and the kids are not
misspelling most of the time. The generation of abbreviation are adapted to the
changes in the way of interpersonal communication in the new period. Teenagers
constitute the network of interpersonal relationships and the development of
friendship and love and other intimate relationships by texting. This kind of

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communication way more shows a kind of simplification of communication in real

life and make the conversation more easy and random which means that we do not
need to type every single letter. On the other hand, long time no contact will make
each other feel was cold and forgotten. Occasionally send a text messages will make
each other feel the other person are still remember him and reduce the distance
between each other. In this sense, it is not only the message, but also a link between
people and people.
Last but not the least, most text messages are pointless. Although it is only a
rebuttal argument which is proposed by the host to refute David Crystals view, to be
honest, I think it is one of the most important arguments in the video. David Crystal
believes that all of the messages have got a point because nobody will send without a
point. Even the proverbial 'I'm on the train' text has a point, and the point may not be
explicit. 'I am on the train', maybe someone will think that it is absolutely total
rubbish and trivial and do not know what are they doing, but in fact it can often mean
'I'm thinking about you at this moment' or I love you. On the other hand, if you do
not understand the real meaning of the text it shows that there are only little rapport
between you and the person who sent to you.
As the abbreviations have already become a trend among teenagers, some people
worried that teenagers will forget the real spelling of a word because they are writing
without letters. And if more and more students do not know how to spell, their will
put all of their poor spelling into their essays and their examinations. As a result that
may leading to a generation of illiterates of themselves even their next generation.
Absolutely not true, people always know that they should use the right form in the
formal writing. As Crystal says on the video, you will not know how to write leave
out

letters

if

you

do

not

know

the

truly

spelling.

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Above all of the Crystals video nicely demonstrated his theory that texting is
good for English language. As I am adapting this to a WeChat format talking to my
friend, I changed a lot of details to suit this format like transfers the formal language
into spoken language, change from third to first person and make the form of data
become concretize. Although abbreviations do change the texting language and even
have a big influence on our lives and relationships, but this change have a positive
impact on our life.