We all use our mobiles to send text messages and we use text language without even thinking about it, but why? You know if you’re running low on credit it’s cheaper to send a text than it is to phone and it’s much easier to send a sneaky text in class, than it is to hide under the table and make a phone call! There are loads of reasons why we send texts but why do we use text language? To write a message in proper English would be a bit time consuming and there is a limited amount of letters you can fit on a message, so we shorten words and solved the problem. Simple! We only see the advantages, but maybe there are disadvantages to texting too.

We usually assume that it’s teenagers and younger people who use text language, but that’s not always true. Cube team member, Nathan told me, “My mum and dad use text language all the time and I wouldn’t call them young.” Loads of people said that their parents use it, but not as much as them and I don’t know if it’s just my Nan who’s cool, but she uses it all the time!

While doing research for this article I found a website which had a list of all the abbreviations and codes we use in texts. There were the common ones like ‘LOL’ and ‘L8R’ but a lot of the list I had never heard before! If you received a message saying ‘AFAIK’ or ‘404’ would you understand it? I know I wouldn’t, and I use text language everyday. This makes me think that maybe text language has got a bit too unclear. If the people who use it most are getting confused, then surely it’s gone too far?

Obviously text language is fine, when it’s used in the right places. Problems start when we hand in homework where we’ve written ‘U’ instead of ‘you’ and other common mistakes. On mobile phone site www.umtsworld.com I found a story about an English teacher at a Scottish school who was shocked to read an essay by a pupil, written in text message shorthand. She said: “I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. The page was riddled with hieroglyphics, many of which I simply couldn’t translate. When I challenged the pupil, she told me that was how she preferred to write because she found it easier than Standard English.”

I asked Miss Twigg, an English teacher at Yewlands School about her experience of text shorthand was, she told me “I don’t think it affects people in the top sets because they know they have to write in full. People in the weaker groups haven’t lost the ability, but they’ve got lazy because they are used to shortening words and so I notice it more with them.” She admitted to using text language herself, but said that there is a time and a place where it’s appropriate. “I think its ok on phones, emails and sometimes making notes, but not in proper written work” she explained.

When I asked Miss Twigg if she thought it had been taken to the extreme she simply said, “Yes, but it’s like anything isn’t it? It grows and develops over time it was bound to happen.” From what I’ve found out it seems that the use of text language is affecting some teenagers English skills but not to the point that we have to worry. And in some ways it’s good that text language is developing because it’s teenagers who develop it and it shows innovation. So there are good and bad things about using text language but, as long as we know where to draw the line and not get too lazy, text talk is fine.

Feature by Sophie Allen