Change/Technology Theory

Question 1

Crispin Thurlow (2003)

Answer 1

Investigation: 544 university students text patterns. Common features- shortening, contractions, ‘g’ clipping, emoticons, acronyms and initialisms. Social maxims (rules) eg. speed and brevity no longer a limitation

Question 2

David Crystal (2013)

Answer 2

Texting increases literacy skills as need to spell to know what to omit. ‘Effects of New Technology’ lecture- text speak restricted to text messages, no evidence of influence elsewhere. Only around 10% texts contain text features

Question 3

John McWhorter (2013)

Answer 3

“linguistic miracle”
Declinist view existed before texting so can be dismissed (Milroy), texting should be considered “fingered speech” rather than writing- naturally looser rules

Question 4

Casper Grathwohl (President of Oxford Dictionaries)

Answer 4

“struggling to meet the rapid fire, visually focused demands of 21st century communication”, Pictographic script replaces traditional alphabetical. “flexible, immediate and infuses tone” “transcends linguistic borders”
2015 ‘tears of joy’ emoji word of the year- decay?

Question 5

Tyler Schnoebelen (2016)

Answer 5

Emojis not detrimental to language. Creates personal style, face to face element. Playful- inappropriate for formal and serious contexts

Question 6

Journalist John Humphreys

Answer 6

Prescriptivist opinion ‘How texting is wrecking our language’

Question 7

Journalist Nick Enoch

Answer 7

‘emojis are ruining the English language’
may lack credibility and credentials but have influence as their opinions reach wider audience