Intro
Texting has evolved to the point where it no longer resembles formal written language or “standard English”, and has more in common with speech. Over many years, the newer generations have developed ways to make text far more efficient and liken to having a real conversation. It its now faster to convey a message and get a reply, with the message being almost instantly passed on to the receiver. Text allows for two people to talk without saying everything and have both still understand the meaning. Without the need to spell everything out, a reply to a text can be much faster than other forms of writing. Also, writing things down quickly has resulted in new words that wouldn’t fit into standard English such as slang to add personality and new meaning. Without the ability to efficiently convey emotion in formal writing, texting has adapted to use things like para-linguistic features such as emojis and written actions. All these things combine to make texting far more like speaking than other forms of written language.
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Instantaneous messages are one of the many things that sets texting apart from other written language. Sometimes, sending a message getting a reply straight away is necessary. You might be asking an important question or needing a particular bit of information. With a letter or email, time would have to be given up to write a full message. Then the message would have to be delivered where the receiver would also have to take the time to write a full reply. When texting, a quick message will suffice, with the text being sent straight away. When received, the reply will be short but will have all the information as a long email.
Texting being instantaneous is useful for more than just brief messages. It also allows people to have a written conversation in real time without ever having to talk. Being able to send a message on only a matter of seconds, as if you are actually talking to the other person, is extremely useful./ “Do you have WiFi”?/ “At the hotel I do”/ “Did you grind Subway on the plane”? /”No, I watched a movie”/This quick exchange could be mistaken for dialogue from a phone call but is in fact is a group of text messages all sent in a few minutes. It is a great example of how easily texting can be used just like a call or speaking face to face.
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Omission is another thing that is useful in texting that no other form of writing can accomplish. Much like talking in real life, not every single thing needs to be said. With shared knowledge, experiences and an understanding of the person you can usually understand what they are saying even if they don’t explicitly say it.
“Never heard of him”/ “Search him up then”/ “Its Bailey’s turn”/ “Did you search”?/ In this short exchange, the two people talking have changed the subject halfway through then immediately switched back. The first person says “it’s Baileys turn”, a comment which doesn’t have any relation to what they are originally discussing. This doesn’t cause any problems as the other person knows exactly what they are talking about (an online game that is playing in the background). This isn’t mentioned but it doesn’t have to be as the second person already understands.
It is the same in speech. If something is happening, it doesn’t need to be explained. People are capable of understanding what others are talking about with limited information. The same cannot be said for emails or letters. This is because texts and speech are sent in the present, while an email is something written in the past to be read in the future. If somebody was sent a message that was out of context, it wouldn’t make any sense. In texting this use of omission is very effective at allowing texts to be fast and easy to understand, replicating actual conversation.
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Slang and sound effects are a very common part of speech that doesn’t translate well into formal written language but is used often in texting. Often while speaking people will use slang or words informally because it is much simpler. The words keen, innit and k are all good examples. These can all be used on their own rather than having to string together a whole sentence. In texting, speed is a priority so coming up with shorter words can make texting more efficient.
When doing an email or formal piece of writing, slang words don’t fit in. It wouldn’t make sense if you put the word “innit” at the end of a sentence, nor would it be any good to reply to an email with simply “k”. In text, none of this formality matters so replying with “k” is fine. Slang is what tends to add personality to speech and using it in text can help identify the person or what they are trying to say. Also, because texting is basically having a conversation through writing, “innit” would fit in as it’s how many people speak.
Sound affects are also common in text messaging and speech. While talking they can help explain or show emotion. Formal writing doesn’t tend to have lots of emotion or personality so sound is never used. In texting, it feels a lot more connected as you you are talking straight to the person. / “you died”/ “reeeeeee”/ This bit of text shows how sound can be used. The sound (“reeeeeee”) is one used often in real life by the person texting. Knowing the person means you know what they are trying to say. Here it is used as comedy as well as showing that they are annoyed. Both slang and sound effects can used in text to enhance its likeness to speech and make it more efficient.
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Para-linguistic features are almost impossible to put into formal writing but are the obvious next step in the evolution of texting. In real life you can see all the expressions, tone of voice and gestures the person you are talking to makes. This helps with fully expressing yourself and getting your message across. In written language, this is near impossible, having to write out each individual action. Instead, texting has adapted to solve this problem, the solution being emojis, gifs and pictures.
Emojis are a quick way to show emotion (hence the name) and expressions. Commonly used emojis would include the laughing-till-crying face, the heart and the crying emoji. There is a difference however in how these are used in texting and what is actually happening as you text. Usually, the emojis are used to show greatly exaggerated versions of the emotions they are actually feeling. Somebody may use the crying emoji just to say they are sad, or the laughing-till-crying emoji to say something was funny.
People also often associate actions with specific words which emojis just can’t express. Often, quotation marks will be used to write an action. For example, “snap” could be representing snapping fingers to punctuate a particular sentence. All of the expressions and actions only make texting even more like having a real conversation.
Conclusion
As technology from the future becomes the reality, texting continues to evolve to be even more like have a conversation in real time. With all the added features and inventive ways the younger generations adapt to texting, texting is becoming a very efficient way of communication. The ability to talk in real time and the constant but mostly unnoticed use of omission allows us to reply with speed. The slang and sound effects we use also gives our text personality and added meaning. Emojis enable emotion through words and the representation of actions. None of this is possible through formal writing, making text far closer to real life speech.