Dulce 1 Charles Dulce Professor Lewis English114A 11-21-13 The Creation of a New Language New languages are being

created every day. A language can be created by a couple of five year olds through their own imagination, just so they can pass notes that nobody else would understand. Languages are created by uttering sounds and giving meaning to these sounds. There is one language that is evolving from the use of technological devices. This new language is called Texting. Texting is a way of communicating through cellular devices. This language is at times frowned upon, because people like David Crystal, author of 2b or Not 2b? say that texting is, pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. Crystal compares the texting language to a conqueror named Genghis Khan. This brute pillager is the opposite to what texting actually is known for because it is later known that creating a language is a natural process of life. Texting is a new and modern way of communicating for todays generation and is part of an evolving language. This type of language evolves our English in many ways some would not even think is incorporable. Texting was a created language through technology like cellular phones and even instant messaging. People then carried on with this language and use it every day. Katy Steinmetz author of Elvish, Klingon and Esperanto-Why Do We Love to Invent Languages? brings up a point in her article that an invented language can bring world harmony. Although that

Dulce 2 sounds a bit extreme for something like texting, it can still happen. The texting language actually begun on a computer and later expanded into cellular devices. It was not until the portability of cellular devices that texting became a worldwide sensation. Chris Gayomali, author of The text message turns 20: A brief history of SMS helps shine light on Steinmetz statement of world harmony through texting. He shows how in 2002: text messages explode because, over 250 billion text messages have been sent worldwide. With this many text sent worldwide, it was not a surprise that Steinmetz believed in world harmony through the texting language. Gayomali then explains the evolution from SMS (short message service) to text being sent 200,000 times a minute in 2010. This language that use to be accessible only through technological devices with a small fee, like the internet or the phone bill, has now became free in this point and time. This language is accessible all over the world, so it is not a surprise that texting is appearing in literature. Steinmetz then begins to say why the texting language may still exist. Steinmetz describes that thousands of languages are created for 2 reasons: because people become dissatisfied of their current language or it may spawn from a movie and hooking on to its audience. She argues, People who invent languages are exercising the poetic aspect of being human. This means that a person who creates a new language is normal, training their poetic trait. She uses this quote to express her point of texting evolving languages since it is one of those invented languages that have expanded out of the recommended texting area, being cellular devices. The more people use the texting dialect out of its area the more we learn from this new language. In another article by John McWhorter titled Is Texting Killing the English Language? McWhorter explains that the English language is not being murdered by texting,

Dulce 3 but texting is leading a movement of advancements for the generations to come. Texting has even created its own type of grammar through acronyms like LOL. LOL means laughing out loud and not in a literal sense. This acronym has changed over time into something more of an icebreaker while talking through the texting dialect. McWhorter proves his point that LOL is grammar by saying: LOL signals basic empathy between texters, easing tension and creating a sense of equality. Instead of having a literal meaning, it does something conveying an attitude just like the -ed ending conveys past tense rather than meaning anything. LOL, of all things, is grammar. McWhorter is comparing this acronym that shows emotion through texting to the way we change a word into past tense to show the importance of the new language created. This language is like Charles Darwins theory of evolution, but instead of plants and animals it is for the English language. Living in America, a person tends to learn that there is not enough time in the day to do everything. Everything feels fast pace here and being a college student makes time feel even faster. We live in a modern time now, so writing a letter and sending it through the mail takes too long for the response that you desire, but not with texting. Texting has evolved into a simpler and faster way to communicate, but can also teach a texter how to spell. I say this because of a recent experience that compared writing a letter to texting to a friend who could only communicate through letters since he joined the Navy. My friend told me that he could only communicate through letters for three months because he was in boot camp. He said cellular phones were not allowed as a sign of discipline. This was hard for me because, I normally would

Dulce 4 talk to him either face-to-face or through texting. I have never written a letter before so when I started on the letter it felt strange. I soon found out that he could use his cellphone by the time I was about to mail him his letter. When I texted him he said to just text him the letter, and so I did. While texting the letter I learned that I made a couple of mistakes in spelling some words. The word was abbreviate, but I spelled it like a-b-b-r-i-v-i-a-t-e. I learned from this mistake and began to remember all the other words I spelled wrong, but spell check in my cellphone corrected for me. By this point in time the texting language is advancing todays generation into a new era of languages with all the new grammar, vocabulary and availability it provides a user. People see this texting dialect as a good thing for the world, but some say other words. Joan Lee, the conductor in the article, Texting Affects Ability to Interpret Words explains why the texting language cannot be an evolving language but, a roadblock to all the advancements it may provide for this world. This study was conducted in the University of Calgary, using students as volunteers to prove that people who texts are less acceptable to new words compared to those who read more. The study basically asked about their reading habits, which included the use of text messaging, and presenting a range of fictitious and realistic words. Lee states, that reading traditional print media exposes people to variety and creativity in language that is not found in the colloquial peer-to-peer text messaging used among youth or 'generation text'. What she means is that reading from things beside text messages like books, newspapers, letters and etc. allows people to be more comfortable to new words compared to the texting generation. She believes that it exercises their variety and creativity in language that is not found in the peer-topeer speaking. This matters since there must always be a kind of fault in the new creation of things since nothing is perfect. One of Lees examples of the texting language constricting the

Dulce 5 vocabulary of the people is the type of unusual spelling or textism known as LOL. She expresses that this acronym is restraining todays generation from advancing, but the texting language does not affect the way people accept new words when it appears for todays generation. Well not for me, because I never accepted new words into my vocabulary whenever it would appear in traditional print media. It was tough especially in an advanced placement literature class my senior year, where the recommended amount of reading was 20 pages a night. Every time a reading or part of a novel was assigned I knew the new words would be skipped. What I meant by this was that whenever I came across a new word I did not understand in a reading, I would just pass it and keep reading. I always thought, That word doesnt matter. As long as you finish the reading and understand the overall story then that word wouldnt matter. I based this off of time instead of understanding the con side to the texting language. If I were to actually try to find out what a word meant, I would have to turn on my laptop or find a dictionary and then continue my reading. Time was more of an important factor and these new words were just in the way. Texting has no effect on me in my own opinion and should not be seen as a major problem. Proving that just because a person texts more frequently than others does not mean they are less acceptable to new vocabulary. No matter what creation is made there are always pros and cons, admirers and critics but, for this language the pros prevail in this evolving generation. People like Lee misunderstand the concept of this language. It is still new and over time it will improve. This language can be the exact opposite of Lees point of view on texting. There is always room for improvement and the new grammar created the normal aspect of creation, and world harmony through a single language. This way communicating is normal and could possibly be the only way to speak.

Dulce 6 Works Cited "Texting affects ability to interpret words." University of Calgary. ScienceDaily, 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Gayomali, Chris. The text message turns 20: A brief history of SMS. The Week.The Week Publicatioins, 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. McWhorter, John. Is Texting Killing the English Language? Time Ideas. Time Inc., 25 April 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. Steinmetz, Katy. Elvish, Klingon and EsperantoWhy Do We Love To Invent Languages? Time Entertainment. Time Inc., 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. Crystal, David. 2b or Not 2b? They Say I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Reading. 2nd ed. Ed. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, and Gerald Durst. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 335-347. Print.