Coded language for communication using technology has been around for decades - Morse Code in 1835, Signalese in 1914, ICAO phonetic alphabet in 1932, Police 10-code in the 1940s, and so on.
During the evolution of these early forms of 'shortspeak', only the chosen few - those who needed to know - were able to understand what was being said. The codification of messages served multiple purposes - for example, it shortened transmission time, reduced resources, encrypted messages, and so on. The code was only available to and used by those who needed it in their everyday communications. Today's SMS or texting code, however, has changed the way we use language when we communicate using today's devices. The availability of communication tools such as cell phones, chat rooms, instant messaging, and email has increased the volume of messages being transmitted by the average person, the desire for faster communication methods, and a standardization of language coding. It has also increased our tolerance for errors in written communication, while helping to reduce the errors created between intended and received message. (OMC instead of OMG makes no sense, and is an obvious error in this code.)
In most countries, using LOL or OMG is recognised by anyone who has access to communication devices. Some countries have developed their own versions of common expressions (here are some German examples). Regardless of your opinion of the contributions this style of communication has for language use, it has been developed by today's technology users and, as such, is the realia of the generation. The language is now so extensively used that business has developed its own version of the language (click here to view).
Teaching this language style in a classroom is difficult, as it is founded upon a deeper understanding of the language it is abbreviating. It requires the user being able to model expressions into abbreviated versions using the rules of the shorthand style. The teacher needs to understand explicitly how these rules are applied - as complex as they may be. However, today's language learners must have an understanding of this language in order to survive the development and implementation of technology in their world, just as previous generations have accepted changes in their 'language for the everyday' ('rad' for something exciting, 'phat' for something awesome, and 'sick' for something that is extremely good, for example).
These are generational evolutionary changes to a language that is being adapted to new uses on a daily basis. The rules that once applied to language learning are changing, both through the introduction of technology, and in the use of technology. Language instruction needs to move with the times, rather than mourn the times lost. Teaching approaches and strategies have to be modified to include this new language strategy.
For an extensive list of text message short hand, click here.
Bill,
ReplyDeleteThe extensive list of text message short hand at the end is 'leet' ...aka hacker or gamer speak. It's used more so on the internet and involves replacing letters with different characters. I don't agree that this is text messaging shorthand becuase most people who text have probably never used the majority of these expressions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet
Hey Jen... thanks for the feedback. I have a feeling, however, that you only looked at the top part of the table that was provided in the link. Leet - or elite speak - doesn't include alpha characters. It actually looks for ways to substitute existing characters using keyboard symbols or font characters that are non-linguistic.
ReplyDeleteText shorthand uses alpha characters and numbers/symbols to abbreviate common expressions (in particular).
But, what you have done is brought another language into the fray... also being developed by the 'elite' youth of today's techno world! Thank yo for that - I had forgotten to include it in my list of codification of language :)