Hi, Larry.
One aspect of textspeak that is clear to me is that there do appear to
be several varieties (we could call them dialects!) that seem to be
based on age or other group memberships of the writer/speaker.
The example with you and your wife is a good example. When does 'y' mean
'yes', and when does it mean 'why'. I imagine that some users would say
'y' means 'yes' and 'y?' means 'why?'
The take away is that unless you really know your reader/listener, you
need to be sure that you are clear! You probably cannot make as many
assumptions as you think.
Linda
________________________________________
Linda Di Desidero, Ph.D.
Director, Communication Studies & Professional Writing
University of Maryland University College
School of Undergraduate Studies
3501 University Boulevard East
Adelphi, MD 20783-8083
College English Association-Middle Atlantic Group
http://cea.stevensonuniversity.org/
Maryland Communication Association
http://www.marylandcomm.org/
(240) 684-2830 (Department)
(240) 684-2928 (Office)
(240) 684-2995 (Fax)
-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Larry Beason
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 1:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: "textspeak" and grammar rules
Dear Colleagues:
My co-author and I were asked to develop a 2nd edition of our usage book
aimed at a general audience (McGraw-Hill Guide to Grammar & Usage). I'd
like to pick your brains about the content of a particular section.
One brief chapter we'll add is tentatively titled "textspeak," and our
goal is to offer guidance regarding grammar and usage regarding
e-communication in diverse contexts (email, text messages, social
networking, etc.). This includes what should be common sense (e.g.,
avoid textspeak when writing formal hardcopy or formal e-texts.
For the most part, there are few 'rules' that apply all these diverse
situations, so our guidance will be broad and flexible for the most
part.
However, are there specific grammar or usage issues that you think are
worth discussing with a broad range of readers in terms of e-texts?
Are there common errors, for instance, that you see that involve
'textspeak' or e-communication? It's hard to develop rules or
conventions in such a quickly-changing mode of communication, but do you
see particular grammar, punctuation, or perhaps even stylistic problems
that commonly occur in e-texts (or because of e-texts)?
For instance, even in informal e-communication, I often see certain
distracting or confusing language or punctuation choices--such as using
acronyms that aren't commonly known (I responded to my wife's text the
other day by answering "y" to a question. She saw this as challenging
her question, while I thought it was clear I meant "yes". She won.)
Another problematic choice even in informal e-texts is, I think, not
using sentence-ending punctuation in any sentence except the last in a
text message.
If anyone has time for discussing 'particularly annoying or confusing'
usage choices involving e-communication, I would appreciate your
thoughts.
Larry Beason
____________________________
Larry Beason, Associate Professor
Director of Composition
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL 36688-0002
Office: 251-460-7861
FAX: 251-461-1517
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