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Book: The Five-Minute Linguist

Chapter: 56. Is Text Messaging Changing How I Write and Speak?

DOI: 10.1558/equinox.38176

Blurb:

Until the late-20th century, most people would write for work or school and occasionally for personal or social reasons. However, after the digital media boom, email, instant messaging, and text messaging made writing an integral part of communicating in people's everyday lives. But how do these kinds of writing, particularly text messaging, affect how people write and speak in other areas of their lives? This chapter examines what language things people learn from texting, how they may use this language to represent themselves, and why the myth that texting is ruining writing is just that: a myth.

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