Written Task #1

Rationale

Ever since technology has begun integrating itself into our everyday life we have been able to see and track a change in the English language and the way we use it. One technology in particular has had a significant impact on the language we use every day: texting. The first text message was sent in December 1982 and it simply read "Merry Christmas". Throughout the 1990's texting became more open to the public but still was nowhere close to its current popularity and usage. Since then this remarkable form of communication has evolved into a language of its own with its unofficial rules, abbreviations, and structure. 

Along with this new form of communication comes many complaints and this is the topic I have chosen to explore. The article I found is highly opinionated and takes the stance that texting and other forms of technology have had a negative impact on the English language and on the literacy of this generation. I have chosen to write two letters to the editor in response to this article in order to go more in-depth into this topic. I chose this text type as it allows me to explore both sides of this argument by writing from two different perspectives with very different opinions on the matter. One letter will be written from the perspective of an English teacher while the other will be written from the perspective of a college freshman. Because of this difference in perspective, both letters are completely opposite in audience and purpose. Overall, the opinionated and argumentative perspectives of my two letters will help to further explore and discuss the topic of language and technology in an informative yet interesting way.

Letter to the Editor #1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483511/I-h8-txt-msgs-How-texting-wrecking-language.html

Texting is ruining this generation

Ezra Fitz

16 October 2014

I know some people may think that my opinion is  a bit extreme but I have firsthand knowledge on this matter and I can honestly say that throughout my years as an English teacher I have been able to slowly observe the decline of literacy among my students. I have to stop myself from outright cringing every time I grade a paper due to the type of language and grammar that has begun to creep into these supposedly academic essays. Students these days rely too heavily on autocorrect when texting their friends which can lead to laziness and sloppy spelling when it comes time for them to perform without this crutch that they are so used to leaning on for support in their writing.

My students are used to writing in short sentences that are most efficient in getting their point or message across in a limited amount of characters. However, with this development I feel that a certain poetic quality is lost. Rarely do you find a variety of adjectives in a text and you'll be hard pressed to try and locate any form of punctuation whatsoever. This style of writing has begun to show up in their papers and this is where the real problem lies. If one were to look at a sample of essays from my class you wouldn't even know commas or anything like them existed. I mean, don't even get me started on the number of run-on sentences I have to correct every time I give out an assignment. The number of periods missing from their papers equals the number of pills I have to take in order to get rid of the headache that comes from grading these sloppy papers.

As mentioned before, students are used to having autocorrect there to fix all of their spelling mistakes. However, once this is taken away from them their spelling begins to crumble and turns into that of a third grader. It saddens me to know that some of my students don't even know the difference between "their", "they're" , and "there".

While I agree that texting can be useful and that it certainly has its advantages it also comes with many drawbacks that in some cases may out-weigh the positive aspects of it all.  We gain convenience but at what price? The illiteracy of our children? Some would argue that this price is too high and I am certainly one of those people.  So next time when you're considering whether to buy your child a mobile phone please think of the permanent damage you may be doing to not only them but also their English teachers.

Ezra Fitz

Letter to the Editor  #2

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483511/I-h8-txt-msgs-How-texting-wrecking-language.html

A better perspective

Mary Jones

16 October 2014

I find it unbelievable that so many people who claim to be well-educated can be so wrong about something! All these statements made in your article such as " They are destroying it: pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. And they must be stopped." are merely based your opinion with no real facts or evidence to back them up. However, I think that as a member of this generation that has grown up with technology I can help offer further insight into the matter. Maybe you can take the information I'm offering and use it instead of the poor arguments that were presented in your article.

Some people complain that the style and language used in texting has been showing up in places it has no right to be in such as academic papers. However, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: teenagers aren't dumb. They know the difference between a text message that will only be seen by their friends and an academic paper that will be graded by their professors. They are aware of the fact that their language and it's structure needs to change depending on who they're talking to and what message they want to send. In my opinion it is actually fascinating how a student could say the exact same thing but in two completely different ways. On one hand, you have the casual and straight to the point structure while on the other hand there is the more formal structure which is a bit more descriptive and lengthy.

Next time before writing an article it might be best to find some proof to back up what you're saying. Hopefully this insight I've provided will help serve as a future reference when you discuss matters such as these. As a final parting gift I'll leave you with this one piece of advice: if you don't like it, don't use it. While you might not have a choice about using technology, no one is forcing you to use improper grammar or any of these supposedly horrific abbreviations.

Mary Jones

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"Textspeak"

Technology is ruining this generation. At least, that's what any of your stereotypical older people would say. But let's be honest in about 10 more years those same people are going to be relying on the technology of our generation to keep them alive. Yet for some reason they continue to prattle on and on about one thing in particular: texting. If someone heard my grandfather talk about texting and cell phones they would think that he was describing the end of the world. Texting and the so-called "Textspeak" are quite controversial topics. While many people view them as a negative thing, some linguists take the opposite stance on the topic instead.

David Crystal is a linguist who has dedicated much of his time to analyzing this textspeak and has even wrote a book on it. In the his article "Texting" he explores the various ways that textspeak has transformed the standard English and morphed it into something else entirely. He discusses why abbreviations are so popular in textspeak and also looks at exactly how words or phrases are abbreviated. According to him the use of abbreviations became standard in textspeak due to the energy it used to require back when phones didn't have the handy full keyboard that they all come equipped with nowadays. He also comments on the lack of punctuation in textspeak stating that punctuation has "low information value".  Crystal is fascinated by textspeak and believes that is an example of linguistic creativity and language evolution.

John McWhorter is another linguist who has a fairly similar opinion on the topic of how technology has impacted language. In his words texting is not considered writing. He considers writing to be fingered speech. I know that sounds a bit weird so let me clarify, he believes that texting is writing how you talk. This involves a more casual and less structured language than one would use if writing an essay due to the fact that writing is a much more conscious process while texting is considered to be less reflective. He also touches on how some textspeak has evolved even more than just a simple abbreviation. He uses the example of "lol" which, as he points out, no longer actually means laughing out loud. Instead "lol" has become a way of expressing empathy and in some cases it simply serves as a conversation filler. Now he brings up the interesting idea of "slash" which is a prime example of texting simply being fingered speech. When having a conversations with people we have many ways of indicating that we want to change the subject whether this be through verbal or non verbal cues. "Slash" is an example of these cues being translated into textspeak, a way to let your conversation partner know that you're changing the subject.

Both linguists bring up valid yet different points on the topic. Crystal tends to focus on the creativeness of textspeak and the limitless opportunities it offers.  On the other hand McWhorter focuses on the idea of textspeak as a whole, how it has developed over the years as fingered speech, and how it differs from writing. However both linguists have the same general opinion that textspeak is ingenious and should be embraced instead of being labeled as a simple nuisance.

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Letter to the Editor

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anjali-joshi/why-a-bindi-is-not-an-exa_b_5150693.html

A breath of fresh air

Tyler Williams

5 October 2014

I must admit that before reading your article I had an opposite view on the matter of the cultural appropriation of the bindi. While I still agree that there are many examples of cultural appropriation in society today I realize now that a bindi may not fall under this category.

The point you made about the knowledge of bindis among Hindu women is what really grabbed my attention. The fact that none of the 50 you asked could explain its significance really shows how this once strong symbol of culture has faded over the years.

Your article was the first one I've been able to find that expresses this view on the matter and it's refreshing to read something other than the usual rant about cultural appropriation. You bring up many interesting points that other articles have coincidentally forgotten about. In my opinion it seems a bit hypocritical to accuse another culture of turning the bindi into a fashion accessory when that has already been done by the original culture. It seems to me that in some cases people see an opportunity to complain and jump at the chance to make someone else look bad.

You also brought up a point that a highly agreed with which was "I (an Indian) sit here, eating my sushi dinner (Japanese) and drinking tea (Chinese), wearing denim jeans (American), and overhearing Brahm's Lullaby (German) from the baby's room, I can't help but think what's the big deal?".  In a world where so many cultures are mixed together it can sometimes be hard to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not.  Also like you stated I definitely agree that cultural appropriation is a big deal when it strips the object of its significance but as you said this has already been done by some of those of the original bindi-wearing culture.  How can was be expected to respect the significance of the bindi when you can't even tell me what's significant about it?

Also I'd like to mention the idea of who determines what is acceptable and what is not in terms of cultural appropriation. By this I mean, while you may say you have no problem with a white girl wearing a bindi, other people out there have a much different view. So I'll leave you with the complicated question of who makes the decision of whether it's okay or not?

Honestly though as someone who is not a part of the bindi-wearing culture I realize that I may not have a full understanding of the topic. As always when it comes to these disputes over what is and what isn't cultural appropriation it is important to consult those whose culture you want to borrow from. If they say "Sure go ahead and wear that bindi!" then feel free to wear one. At the same time I think that if someone expresses that this bothers them then you should respect their wishes and realize that in the end it's their culture, not yours.

Tyler Williams

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