i need help with my H\W

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ENG 1020

Date: Oct 10, 2014

Comparison between Texting and Academic Writing Language Features

Texting refers to the process of composing and sending short electronic messages through mobile phones and portable or fixed devices over a phone network. Texting has advanced over the years and attained additional features such as videos, images, and sound content known as MMS messages. Texting is used differently depending on the region that the sender and recipients are located. Regions such as North America, Australia, United Kingdom, and New Zealand simply refer the service as text, while in Asia, Middle East, and Africa, it is referred as SMS. Texting can be identified as a form of computer-mediated communication, although it is not computer based, but it is technologically mediated and based on texts; therefore, it shares many of the characteristics of other forms of computer-mediated communication such as email, instant messaging, and social network sites such as Twitter.

Automated systems can also apply text messages through participation in contests and ordering products and services. Service providers and advertisers use texting through direct text messaging, and send text messages to the users of mobile phones about dates of payment and promotions. Texting does not require the users to be online because it does not the Internet to transmit the messages. Twitter and email involve synchronous communication because the users are present online at the same time, and rapid response might be expected. Although immediate response is not obligatory the messages can be sent and responded quickly and enhance continuous flow the conversation.

Texting has gained massive popularity in the communication system over the years in many parts of the world. This form of communication, however, has technical restrictions such as limited space that has led to the development of non-standard language such as short forms (Bonelli 28). Texting allows the users to apply lexical and syntactic short forms that help to save the character space. SMS communication is an asynchronous text-based technologically mediated conversation, which follows the use of simple sentences structure for communication. The restriction in texting that limits the user to only 160 characters per message provides it with a unique feature. Texting, therefore, does not pursue the standard rules of English grammar as it is in academic writing. Additionally, texting mostly involves private conversations, which give the users the freedom to defy the standard rules of the English language.

Texting has been identified to be harmful for the formal English in the academic writings because of its influence on the use of literacy and Standard English. Many educators and linguists argue that text communication can be a permissible language especially due its grammatical breadth. It also involves semantics and syntax that enhances understanding of different language ideas in the text messages, hence developing the art of writing (Hakulinen and Selting 41). Teenagers mostly prefer texting, which makes them illustrate their ability to integrate other languages to promote communication. It also shows the ability of the users to use their grammatical skills in a limited environment to communicate unlike in academic writing where there are no limitations. Texting has an advantage over academic writing because it is mostly informal as well as relaxed form of communication. Use of texts in communication also promotes language alteration and change (Farina 17).

Research on texting can demonstrate the structure of the sentences and general variations because the difference within texting depends on certain SMS use. The main features in texting are the use of slang, abbreviations, emoticons, syntactic reductions, and missing parts of speech such as articles, subject pronoun, contractions, and prepositions. Use of short forms and variation of language is a common feature in texting and normal speaking. These short forms are mostly used because the recipient can clearly understand the meaning of the shortened words. An example of such words includes bcoz to mean because, gudni8 to mean goodnight, u to mean you, etc. Different people have their different ways of texting and use a particular short forms of the words used. Writing is very simple in texting; hence, there is no limitation on the use of various words and sentence structure (Humphrys 12).

In academic writing, there are restrictions to using the Standard English form. Academic writing is also formal, explicit, objective, accurate, precise, hedged, and responsible. Unlike texting and spoken language, written language is complex. There is use of longer sentences, use of more noun-based than verb-based phrases, and it is lexically dense and applies many varied jargons. Academic writing is formal, and this means that colloquial words and expressions are not allowed. This type of writing requires the writers to be responsible for what they have written, and be ready to give justification and evidence for any claims made during the writing (Drouin and Davis 34). Text messaging does not require the users to be responsible because the conversation is private and informal. In academic writing, the language used is objective rather than personal unlike in texting. The major emphasis is placed on the information and arguments that are being written rather than a writer. Consequently, adjectives and nouns are used more frequently than verbs and adverbs in academic writing.

Texting and academic writing are different structurally and serve different roles. Texting involves a relaxed mode and applies simple sentences and words that do not follow any rules of grammar. Academic writing is complex and formal, making it subjective to the standard rules of English language (Wardle and Downs 65). Texting can be described as a marginal discussion because it incorporates both academic writing and spoken discourse, therefore, exhibits characteristics of both. The language of English is highly affected by the variables of technology such as the length of the text, synchronicity, and multimodality. Non-linguistic variables such as the relationships, expectations, and levels of motivation of the participants also affect the English language. The interpersonal nature of texting ensures that messages are brief because of shared knowledge. Character limit sparks rudeness in texting communication because the users condense all the information in a single text, a feature that is not acceptable in academic writing.

In conclusion to mentioned above, the use of non-standard language accounts for a very few words in texting in English. Texting involves the use of initialisms (LOL), emoticons, shortenings (bcoz), non-conventional spellings (fone), contractions (wknd), apostrophe's omission (cant), etc. The most frequently occurring are particularly based on phonetics such as accent stylizations exhibit conventions that are language specific. Symbolically based forms such as emoticons are not used frequently in texting as researchers and media portrays. Moreover, texting correlates positively with word reading, phonological, and vocabulary awareness among children. It also promotes many elements of language performance in teens, who are the main users of texting. The ability of texting users to switch between varying language systems reflects the skilled application of meta-linguistic knowledge.

Works Cited

Bonelli, Elena. Strategies in academic discourse. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins, 2005. Print.

Drouin, Michelle, and Claire Davis. "R u txting? Is the Use of Text Speak Hurting Your Literacy?" Journal of Literacy Research (2009). Print.

Farina, F., & Lyddy, F. The Language of Text Messaging: “Linguistic Ruin” or Resource? The Irish Psychologist, 37 (6). (2011). Retrieved June 27, 2012 from http://eprints.nuim.ie/2681/1/FF_Text_Messaging.pdf

Hakulinen, Auli, and Margret Selting. Syntax and Lexis in Conversation: Studies on the Use of Linguistic Resources in Talk-in-Interaction. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins Pub, 2005. Print.

Humphrys, J. h8 txt msgs: How texting is ruining our language. Daily Mail, September 24th, 2007, Retrieved on 19" July 2010

Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs.Writing about writing: a college reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. Print.