Summary and Review Essay PDF

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Summary and Review Essay The language used in text messaging can be a very controversial topic. There are many people who believe that this “texting language” has become a hinderance to both our literacy and the English language. However, there are also people who believe that the “texting language” is beneficial to our literacy and the English language. In an article called “2b or Not 2b?,” David Crystal provides evidence as to why the “texting language” is actually beneficial. For those who are not sure whether they think texting is hindering our literacy and language, Crystal’s article is definitely worth looking into. In this article, Crystal talks about how the “texting language” is not new; how this language can be complex and creative; and, that the language used in texting can actually improve our literacy. People tend to think that the language used in texting is new and foreign. However, according to David Crystal that is not completely true. In “2b or Not 2b?,” Crystal talks about how initialism, abbreviations, and rebuses had been used for many years, and generations, before being used in text messaging. One of the earliest examples of initialism is “IOU [which] is known from 1618” (Crystal 902). The statement proves that initialism used in texting is not new, rather it has been used for centuries. The same goes for abbreviations. “English has had abbreviated words ever since it began to be written down” (Crystal 902). The statement again proves that the language used in texting is not new or foreign. Rebuses also go back for centuries. Each example that Crystal used provides proof that the language used in texting has been in America for centuries, which means it is not new or foreign. There are some people who think that there is no creativity or complexity involved with texting; however, that is not true. David Crystal talks about how there are texts that are actually very complex. He also says, “There are an extraordinary number of ways in which people play

with language – creating riddles, solving crosswords, playing scrabble, inventing new words” (Crystal 904). Even though texting might come as second nature, there can definitely be a sense of creativity and complexity intertwined with it. Another way that texting can be creative and complex is in text poetry. Crystal says, “The length constraint in text-poetry fosters economy of expression in much the same way as other tightly constrained forms of poetry do, such as the haiku or the Welsh englyn” (Crystal 904). Poetry is a form of writing that is creative and complex, and the language used in texting can encourage both of these things. Would you consider the language used in texting able to improve literacy? A lot of people tend to believe that it hinders our literacy more than it helps. However, according to David Crystal that is not true. Crystal says that “[t]he most important finding is that texting does not erode children’s ability to read and write” (Crystal 906). Crystal found research that proves that when we find ways to abbreviate and shorten our texts that it is actually increasing our literacy. Crystal talks about a research study on texting and the youth. The study found that “[t]he more abbreviations in their messages, the higher they scored on tests of reading and vocabulary” (Crystal 906). Crystal also explains that there is a lot that go into finding a way to make text messages shorter through abbreviations, which in turn increases literacy. So, even though, the majority of people think texting hinders our literacy, it actually does the opposite: it increases it. In “2b or Not 2b?” David Crystal talks about how the language used in texting is not new. It is complex and creative, and it can improve our literacy. Crystal talks about the different things people use while they text, such as: initialism, abbreviations, and rebuses. He compares text-poetry to the haiku because of the restrictive nature of both. Crystal also explains how finding ways to shorten text messages can actually improve literacy. Through all of the

information he provides, Crystal is countering the view that the majority of people have on this matter. The article is good for those looking for another point of view regarding the language used in texting....