Does Punctuation In Text Messages Matter Analysis

In the day where technology is thriving, and the communication through email and text messages are now the common norm, there has been a steady decline and absence on the use of proper punctuation. The slow disappearance of punctuation standards, like commas and apostrophes, indicate the need for change towards the written world. Lynne Truss considers herself a stickler for punctuation, and her book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves addresses the minority of those who regard themselves as punctuation "sticklers" as well. Through the use of humor, figurative language such as relatable analogies and real life anecdotes, Lynne Truss creates a call to action for all the fellow punctuation sticklers: embrace proper punctuation, and require zero tolerance for those who use it incorrectly.

In the article “2b or not 2b”, David Crystal begins with discussing how others such as John Humphry argued that texters are “vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbors 800 years ago. They are destroying it” (335). This is also the common belief of most people. People often argue about the bad points of technology over our language. However, Crystal believes that texting can improve children’s ability to read and write rather than hinder their literacy as many people claim. He also argues that not all texting are done in abbreviated words. Complex messages and institutional messages are often texted in standard form of

The result verified that there is evidence of a decline in grammar scores based on the number of abbreviations in their sent and received text messages (Swayne and Messer). In other words, the word abbreviations and punctuation short-cuts that famously used in text messaging can alter individuals’ ability to recognize and apply proper spelling, grammar and punctuation techniques in writing and daily life communication. If the uses of abbreviations are not controlled from the beginning, both sender and receiver of text messaging will be associated with how poorly they will perform on the test based on the level of standard literacy they have.

It is essential to use correct punctuation to enable the communication to be readable and easy to understand. Punctuation is used in writing to separate sentences and clarify meaning. An error in punctuation can convey an inaccurate meaning to the one intended.

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

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

“Does Texting Affect Writing” is about Michaela Cullington, the author, comparing two opposing perspectives. The perspective is whether texting hinders the formal writing skills of students or not. Millennials are a population that cannot go a day without looking at their phones so, due to the “increasing use of mobile phones, concerns have been raised about its influence on their literacy skills. No matter if it is sending or receiving a text or checking social media sites, technology has taken over the lives of the young generations. The essay “Does Texting Affect Writing?” in They Say, I say exposes how the significant action of texting and using textspeak, i.e. abbreviations and symbols, may be hindering the writing skills of teenaged students. People communicate using textese to “more quickly type what they are trying to say” (Cullington, 2017, p. 361). Textese is a “register that allows omission of words and the use or textisms: instances of non-standard written language such as 4ever” (Van Dijk, 2016). When these people use textese often, it can become habitual and transition into their school assignments. Michaela Cullington constantly repeats words and uses comparisons and abnormalities for the concerns about textspeak, the responses to the concerns, methods and the discussion of findings on the topic to be analyzed.

Texting has become a common way of communicating between peers. It isn’t just used to chat with your friends, it has also become essential in the workplace, creating a bigger connection between work and your personal life. An article was published on The Liberal on the risks of texting, but I actually believe texting is great for us. It has made communication easier and its negative impacts are very avoidable. The risks mentioned in the article are the driving impairments, the physical injuries, and the effect it can have on your grammar. Although these risks seem dangerous, they can be avoided easily.

The abbreviation is usually caught in student’s paper as well as they are so used to it that they don't even recognize using it. That may cause a bigger issue when they start writing a job application or business proposal within using a bunch of shorthand and emoji faces. In fact, texting acronym and shorthand as “ttyl"( talk to you later) or “gr8” (great) restrict young writers’ mind. It shows a decline in building complete sentences or accomplished a critical idea. And yet texting does not “stress the importance of punctuation". However, It seems like Cullington is trying to persuade people to the opposite idea. The sources have an accurate data and those situation, such as teachers are complaining about their students are lack of writing skills which is blamed on texting addiction, are real. It’s obviously an evidence whether it’s limited or not. Nevertheless, Cullington believes that It just "based on just a few personal experiences rather than on a significant amount of

     Cullington then talks about her personal experiences about texting and whether it had an effect on her or not. She states that she is a texter. However, she enjoys it regardless of what others think about it. She feels confident in her writing skills which causes her to succeed  as much as she does. She does not notice the negative affects on her writing skills because of texting. (Cullington 369). Cullington then admit that she rarely uses abbreviations in her texting, and she never uses them in her formal writing which is kind of accurate compared to someone who does use abbreviations in texting would most likely always or sometimes uses them in the formal writings.

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.

In “Why Does Using a Period in a Text Message Make You Sound Insincere or Angry?”, published on The Conversation in July 2016, Lauren Collister explains that texting is more flexible and possesses its own set of stylistic norms (sometimes informally called “textspeak” or “textese”). She also describes that text messaging is a conversation that involves a lot of back and forth, and people add fillers to mimic spoken language; it increases the use of ellipses which can invite the recipient to continue the conversation, she states. She argues that certain punctuation can invoke feelings of insincerity due to “situational code-switching”; a common example is the way we talk in a job interview versus at a bar with friends, and she asserts that repetition of letters had an intensity to message. Collister states that we have different styles of speaking in a text message in different situations and context-dependent styles of writing in a text message.

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.