Due by class time on: Monday, Feb. 21st, 2011
The responses by the whole class are due by class time on: Wed., Feb. 23rd, 2011
The text you need to read is here.
“Txting: The Gr8 Db8” is a book written by David Crystal. Crystal argues that the way people text today, is nothing different from how people use to write things down, even the ancients. He continues to state that there is no reason to novel over how people text today because it is nothing new.
Pictograms and Logograms
Logograms/Logographs “[is] the use of single letters, numerals, and typographic symbols to represent words, parts of words” (Crystal 37); examples include the following:
b = Be
2 = to
@ = at
Or in combiniation with other letters or numerals:
b 4: Before, etc.
What is important about Logograms is the pronunciation of the word, not the actual image. They are completely different from emoticons. Emoticons, however, are a form of pictograms. Pictograms use visual shapes to represent objects. There is a major difference between both.
@om = Atom
:@ = a screaming person
While pictograms symbolize a meaning, logograms sound like the image.
Crystal compares texting to hieroglyphics when a commentator confused them. He says that neither is close to same because hieroglyphics use both logograms and pictograms, whilst texting uses one or the other. However, Crystal continues, sometimes people do use the system of hieroglyphics; for example, “ Hetty’s poem (p. 16) where she uses ‘smiles’ as :-)s.”
Initialism
An initial is using the first letter of a word to shorten a name or a business; for example, NATO or BBC. However, there is a difference between the two; BBC is alphabetisms while NATO is a word a person can pronounce and say. The list goes on and on, giving example, such as “Q for queue or W/E for whatever or weekend.” Crystal argues that this is not surprising, seeing as others have done the same thing in the past, ie., pm which means post midiem (after midday), or RIP, AWOL, and the most famous, TTFN. Initials have been around since Latin was spoken, and is continued to surface over time to shorten phrases or words. Crystal believes that it is common for people to manipulate languages so they can provide a quick response easier.
Omitted Letters
Omitted letters is also common among texters, but this form of texting is a bit more spontaneous because each person is different, and may omit different letters. There are two distinct forms of omitting: Contractions is when a person omits from the middle of the word, or clippings when they omit a letter from the end of the word. Some examples include the following:
Msg = message
Txtin = texting
Rite = right/write
However, this form of texting is not new to the world either. People have used this form of short hand for the longest time; for example, Mr. and Mrs, or Sgt. and Lt. Even governments have integrated this use of short hand into their daily writings.
Nonstandard Spellings
Texters misspell words, unconsciously and deliberately. However, it is important to take note that majority of misspellings are done on purpose and is a form of short hand; for example, cos and cuz mean because, or shud means should. Texters know the language in which they speak and text/type in, so majority of their misspellings are on purpose. But again, Crystal shows us that this isn’t a novelty. The short hand for because (cos) has been used since 1828, and what (wot) was created the following year. It is common theme to believe that the language texters use now is new, but it reality it is common to change and manipulate languages.
Shortenings:
Shortening is when a person takes out the prefix or suffix of the word, or completely drops half the letters from a word; for example, absolutely becomes absol, or doctor becomes doc. However, this is not new either. Crystal says that people have been using this form of short hand the longest. Students shorten the classes they are taking from biology to bio, Literature to lit, and so on and so forth.
Genuine Novelties
Crystal says that there are new forms of short-hand; however most are used to one up the other. He uses the example of “IMO” which stands for “in my opinion;” texters created new texts by adding certain letters, for example “IMHO,” stands for “in my honest opinion,” which is new, but at the same time a big deal.
Crystal continues to argue that this will continue to happen. Languages evolves.
Edgar did a good job at summarizing the article about text messaging. I do agree with the author of the article that language does evolve. Shorthand writing has been around for awhile now and changes as time goes on. Nowadays many people omit letters when they text. I do this all the time when I text my friends or when I chat on social networking websites. For some it is hard to adjust from shorthand writing to writing professionally. I do think it is also because of the advancement of technology. But at the same time, even in the past ancients used pictures to communicate. This is very interesting to learn because throughout the years language has changed in many different forms that we were not aware of. It is important to know how others communicated in the past to compare and/or contrast the way we communicate today.
ReplyDeleteI thought Edgar did a good job on summarizing Crystal's article. This has been my favorite article, because it relates to one of my main sources of communication today. I did not know that the kind of shorthand that is used in texting has been around for hundreds or thousands of years. I thought that the hieroglyphic part of the article made sense, because many people do use letters,numbers, and punctuations to take place of words. I agree with Crystal that this will not go away, because language does evolve. However, I think that this is thought to be a new kind of writing, because so many people text today and use the internet. Therefore, using the different variations of shorthand that Crystal refers to are apart of our everyday lives. As technology keeps growing and moving faster, so does people's use of shorthand.
ReplyDeleteThis article stated some interesting view points on texting. I have never really compared modern day texting to ancient times because texting is really a novelty of more modern technological times. This article has comparisons between modern day texting and ancient writing but I don't really think their similarities have the same meaning behind them. We use short-hand while texting these days to save time whereas in ancient times they used it because that's all they knew. If they had the complex writing system we have now, though, I doubt they would be using it the lazy way we do now. I think it's fine to text using shorthand because it's such an informal way of communication, but we have to be careful and not write like that on papers or formal forms of communication--this can become a bad habit.
ReplyDeleteI just recently read this book for my research paper. This topic has been on my mind for weeks now, and I think it is very interesting. Crystal discusses how he believes that texting is not to blame for linguistic ruin. He compares texting to Egyptian rebus and also studies texting in other cultures and languages. He finds the same principle. He is saying yes people are experimenting with grammar just like they've always done. Texting just happens to be the convention in which they are doing so. Crystal also talks about short form, abbreviation, initialism, and emoticon. Last, he states what people are texting, and how that plays a role in the English language
ReplyDeleteThis goes along with my research paper, also. It's interesting to get the opinion that language has not been evolving as much as I thought it has. It's cool how texting with emoticons can be understood by people with different languages. People way in the past or way in the future could probably have a decent idea of what the conversation is about based on the emoticons.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting because it related to my life, since I use texting a lot. In "Txting: The G8 Db8" that author discusses the different types of short hand that is used in texting, and how it is not that different from shorthand writing in the past. To begin with, she talks about how pictograms and logograms have been used since the ancient type, and did not begin with texting. She also discusses how people omitting letters has been happening for years, using Lt. or Pm. as an example. The author goes on to give different examples of other ways that shorthand texting has been used in the past. I thought that it was very interesting to learn about how people in the past used similar abbreviations as we do now when texting. And thought this article was the most relevant one that we have read so far.
ReplyDeleteAfter go through the article “What makes texts distinctive?” and Edgar Vargas’s summary post, I think it is pointed out how language evolves in texting systematically. It is interesting to know that there are different categories about texting such as pictograms, logograms, initialism, shortening and so on. Texting is always in a big relationship with human beings in this high technology era. For faster texting, people think out many different ways to make some new and short words to represent the same meaning. For me, I am always using this kind of text when I am doing a text whenever in a mobile or in the internet. Perhaps few years later, there are more and more distinctive texts will be occurred.
ReplyDeleteThis article looked at texting from a different viewpoint than other articles I have read. The author writes about different ways of shortening messages. for example, when texting instead of writing, "to" some people that text may have the tendency to just write, "2". The reader of the text will most likely understand the message. The trouble with this habit is sometimes when writing for class I find myself shortening my sentences when I should be writing formally. The author also compares texting to ancient languages. Texting is quick, easy, simple and efficient. I found this article to be very informative
ReplyDeleteI would like to first say Edgar did a great job at breaking down the article. This was a very interesting take on a something that we all do everyday, texting. I thought the way Crystal broke down each form of texting was so intriguing because I never knew what the woords stemmed from. I especially liked the section on logograms/logographs because I use that a lot during my everyday texting life. All in all this was a great article.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great summary over this article. I do agree that it was deep how the author compared modern day texting to languages and hieroglyphics of the past. We must all agree that we use a short version of communication when it comes to texting. It it wasn't for my instant spell-check on my Blackberry Torch then my statements would be very crazy lol. We simply don't have time to state a formal conversation style, via text message. I do agree with researchers to the point where text conversations get too out of control. Ive seen statements like,"H3y wahzg00d h0mii3, w@t w3 0n 2nit3. i s@ w3 ht up d@t p@rtii3. ht m3 upp l8r." Stuff like this is out of control.
ReplyDeleteI think Edgar did a really nice job on his summary. He hit the main points, and you got a lot of information from it. The article was interesting to read and it was written well too. I definitely agree with the author when he said language evolves. This article was easier to read because I was able to relate it to something that is in my life every day. Shorthand writing is something I used to do a lot more when I was younger, but now that I am older I catch myself texting in full sentences. I also agree with Crystal when he is saying people are experimenting with grammar. The article also touched on the topics of short form, abbreviation, initialism, and emotion.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great summary that Edgar wrote detailing “What makes texts distinctive?” In this article I can strongly familiarize my self with text messaging. The article I think points out how language evolves in texting systematically and how we adjusted our grammar to texting. What amazes me is that in text messaging there are many categories that describe what text messaging is all about: The categories are pictograms, logograms, initialism and shortening. The author then goes on to give different examples of other ways that shorthand texting has been used in the past. I think that many students nowadays spend more time texting then anything else especially in lecture halls from what I see. I believe that the way we talk in texting goes on to our everyday vocabulary in a way that we get stuck talking that way in a setting we are not suppose to. Lastly I do believe this is a great source of information to those students actually doing their research projects on this topic.
ReplyDeleteEdgar has done a good job breaking down each part of this article and including examples. I really liked reading this article in particular because I am apart of this "texting culture". I also text similar to the examples omitting words to respond as quick as possible. If I am not rushing I tend to text full sentences. I agree that language will continue to evolve. Reality of the situation is that people will continue to shorten words to make it easier for themselves. But, I strongly believe that people shouldn't focus on experimenting with grammar. Sometimes making things simple to you will not be simple to another person. For example, texting shorthand is not familiar with my parents or their generation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article, though it's not just texting. I don't ever text because I haven't got a texting plan on my phone, but for years I have used many of the things referred to as texting shorthand in the article. I have been on the Internet since I was very young, and was typing away on instant messengers constantly. Now I do that in addition to playing MMOs and other things where this kind of typing is constantly being used. It's not just in texting; it's everywhere. I use say things like "LOL" and "BRB" outloud in my everyday speech. I use intentional misspellings like "cuz," and even intentional misspellings of shorthand, like "lulz" instead of "LOL." However, I am always really annoyed when people spell things wrong like "rite" instead of write or right, or saying "u" instead of "you." The only time I don't find that annoying is when someone is purposely trying to sound like a lolcat or like an idiot on purpose to make fun of something.
ReplyDeleteBoth students did a great job at summarizing the article, they was sure to incorporate details and examples the author used to illustrate their understanding of the article. As for the article itself, I found it interesting to read to read how Edgar believes that texting is beginning to adjust and/or alter our grammar. I must say I am incline to agree, from my personal experiences and encounters I have found that some individuals tend to not only talk, but their writing mirrors their texting. Overall the article was very informative.
ReplyDeleteEdgar did an excellent job of summarizing the article, he was very clear and through.
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is so interesting! I mean our generation has been going through this sort of technological revolution and it is even extending into common speech. Who knows maybe one day it will be more acceptable to us these sort of symbols for communication in a formal setting. I agree language does and will evolve. I mean words are only symbols used to express ideas or emotions that often are more abstract than we can label. However if this is the way we are going to start to communicate, how will that affect the way we think... or will it? I'm interested on what this is doing to our brains. I mean when we text it is different from when we are writing a letter or putting pen to paper. It changes the way we think. Which may or may not be a bad thing... just different.
This article has been my favorite so far because it's something that I could relate to the most. There is nothing new under the sun so it does not suprise me not one bit that writing things such as b 4 (before) or 2 (to) back in earlier societies. I could honestly say I am guilty of doing so myself. Outside of writing professional papers, I always write/type this way. I have been doing it for long that it has become a bad habit that I need to break. overall i found the article to be very informative and interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis article has been the most interesting article yet. I enjoyed reading it and could easily relate to it. Although texting has only been around for about the last 10 years, the shorthand used in texting is nothing new. I am an avid texter myself and am guilty of frequently using shorthand and symbols in texting. I do not believe that by using shorthand and symbols affects my grammar. There is a time and a place for everything, including when to use shorthand and symbols. I believe that most students know when to use it and when not to use it. For instance, most students know not to use it for school or work. However, I sometimes use symbols and shorthand when writing rough drafts for papers because it is so much quicker. It allows me to get my ideas on paper much quicker than if I would take my time and write everything out. I can always go back and perfect everything later. Overall I thought that Edgar did a great job summarizing the article and gave a very detailed report.
ReplyDeleteThis article talked a lot about how text has a distinctive structure. I found this interesting because everyone in society today text and probably never noticed the influence that their words have on their receivers. The author also talks our text presentation effects the emphasis of our message.Although shorthand had become more convenient for people who text,this also can be a problem when it comes to writing English papers or any scholastic material because the short hand is incorrect. I liked both summaries. The first one especially was great because not only did the writer give great details about the article but he also gave readers examples of what message the article was trying to send off.
ReplyDeleteTexting is a very distinctive way to write out messages now. I found it fascinating that none of these phrases aside from IMO or IMHO have exsited for many years. I knew the obvious abbriviations but the fact that all that was used in shorthand long before texting was even thought of is quite interesting. The problem with the whole 'texting is okay thing' is that people let the shorthand and abbriviations slip into places where they are not appropriate. Or worse speak it out loud such as idk (which means I don't know) and say just the letters. Texting isn't a bad thing but sometimes it seems people get carried away with it.
ReplyDeleteThe article about the way texting is effecting the way that people write was a good article I believe. texting is changing the way that people are writing. Although I do not use much of this "text Language" even when i do text. I agree with author in that people have been using different ways to make the message they are sending shorter for years. With this the fact that people are findings to shorten conversations may not be a bad thing since everyone now wants the quickest response.
ReplyDeleteThis article by David Crystal gives a very neat perspective on texting. Crystal’s main point throughout his article is that texting uses linguistics from early forms of writing. Ranging from symbolism in the ancient world to post-computer Instant Messaging Logographs, the ways in which people text have been used in writing before. Crystal gives many examples of the different writing styles that texters have transfused into one. These include Initialism, Omitted Letters, Shortenings, and etc. All the styles that he describes have been used before which is why he believes the media is wrong when it makes claims that texting is changing language.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be an interesting new take on the issue of texting and its tenuous relationship with grammar. I understand how the shorthand forms and other elements of texting are crucial for composing quickly and concisely. However, it still annoys me when people use the texting language in writing other things like emails and facebook messages.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article, and I feel Edgar did a nice job of summarizing. I never really knew that the language we speak in our text messages have actually been going on for years. This really surprised me, because half the time I don't even know what my friends send to me in a text message. I use shortened words, and I use some acronyms, but I had no idea this stuff has been going on so long
ReplyDeleteI liked this article a lot i think that it was very needed for today's society. In his article "What Makes Texting Distinctive", Edgar Vargas, explained that texting is not new and people should not be so worried about the grammar that is associated with texting.I'm glad that he explained the differences on texting and instanst messaging on the computer because they are two diffeerent styles of writing. I shorthand when i text as well and i use most of the abbreviatins that he stated in his article.Quite honestly i believe that the only people that have a problem with the way people text is the older adults that did not grow up with technology.
ReplyDeleteThis article focuses on the history of how symbols and characters have been used to communicate. I found it interesting when the author went into detail about how we can read by shape or sound. The most common thing I do in text is use initialisms for quicker typing; it always feels like I'm wasting my time if I'm making sure I have no grammar mistakes within my texts. I could see where texting could influence the lack of proofreading in modern education.
ReplyDeleteThis article hints on some major problems with how young adults are learning to write today. Although learning short hand writing can be very beneficial it does present some problem when it comes to composing any higher education writings. It is also interesting to see that there are different types of short hand writing withing different sorts of media outlets. This is something that is very interesting and shows that there are many ways to write in short hand.
ReplyDeleteDavid Crystal’s “The Gr8 Db8” is a book about how people text the same way as they talk. This article relates to me because texting is one of my main sources of communication today. This article has comparisons between modern day texting and ancient writing weather or not the meaning is the same is debatable.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the author that abbreviated writing has been seen through out history. It is perfectly okay for people to abbreviate and drop certain letters for words, when text messaging or using any kind of informal communication. People just need to know when to use informal writing and when not to.
ReplyDeleteShort- handed messages are convenient in conversation between a friend and people you know. You would not write “lol” in a paper that you would write to a teacher. Some people who text may forget and abbreviate in a paper as if they were talking to a friend. When you do something so often it almost becomes automatic to continue. It is hard to change your ways even if you do realize your mistake.
ReplyDeleteWith the invention of texting and emailing- formal writing skills in most people have gone down hill. More and more papers and documents are seen with abbreviations that belong in a message from a cell phone. Although these are efficient ways of speaking through technology, it is not efficient in formal writing. There is a time and a place for abbreviations and formal writing is not one of those times. The summary of this article was great, I liked how they put examples of the abbreviations in their summary- it helped understand it a lot.
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