About the Author
I am from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I came to New Zealand 3 years ago to further my education in AUT University. I would consider myself a bubbly and loud person if I wasn't feeling shy. I am currently in my second year of Bachelor Arts in English. I am studying this course with a intriguing interest and curiosity in English Language and Communication. I am hoping that this paper will help me in the future to be a better writer academically and this has also given me another opportunity to have my own blog again. :)
Welcome To My First Academic Blog
Text Messaging V Academic Writing
For the past two weeks I’ve been trying to find videos based on text messaging and the use of its’ short form language. So far I’ve found a commercial for text messaging language used in spoken language. In my post about TXT MSGING, I mentioned the T9 Dictionary, which I realized not everyone finds it easy to use. I asked a few of my friends what they prefer- ABC Mode or T9 Dictionary? Most of them of course had preferred the ABC Mode and why? Because they were allowed to be free and deviate their words. They hated the fact that they would have to follow the rules of the dictionary and it didn’t matter if it was right or wrong. The Future?
*I have also found a funny text messaging language commercial advertising unlimited text messaging. The consequences of this leads to a high phone bill but with the surprising habit of speaking in text messaging language. I found this commercial quite entertaining because it portrays that text messaging can get influential towards the change of even speaking and writing at such a young age. I remember when I had just started text messaging and that was exactly in the holidays of high school. By the time I went back to high school, I had forgotten to switch my written language to academic writing and I had forgotten important grammar rules and spellings of English language. This may not apply to everyone, but I had not realised then yet that I should change my way or mode of speaking through text because I too hated T9 Dictionary. Irony is it? Hehe I think it is!I found an article relating to what I had experienced in high school. And I think students have a hard time switching from text messaging language to academic writing. The article is about text messaging communication in Dublin affecting Irish school children. The article stated that students had errors in grammar, punctuation and phonetic spellings and the rise of text messaging language has impacted on standards of writing academically.http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL2551384720070425Just a note that I will be including some important grammar rules and spellings that will be helpful to learn and use in academic writing.
Well good news guys, I will be taking a Principles of News Journalism paper next semester so I will be able to reflect on this blog more effectively since I mentioned in my proposal that I am interested in Journalism for the future by learning to write academically.A New Beginning, Using T9 Dictionary.. For the past one year I have started a new way to text message friends and it’s called changing your text message mode to T9 Dictionary. I found this extremely helpful as I inhabited an automatic habit to write academically all the time when I text. And just to support this with more evidence, it’s faster typing a message with the T9 Dictionary mode than the Abc mode because you need to go through each letter before getting your word typed out. Whereas T9 Dictionary just follows letters coordinated. If anyone doubts this don’t be afraid to try it yourself, I assure you it’s definitely faster and academically better. Well, that's what i think.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying you have to use T9 dictionary, I would agree that even though you have been using T9 dictionary it’s still difficult to avoid abbreviations or short form language such as LOL, BRB or 2MORO. This short form language has become part of a text language community and it’s hard to avoid the usage of these short forms. However I am referring more to the spelling of certain words such as in New Zealand’s weird spelling of like (lyk). Are we that lazy to type another letter? Because of habits like this we forget sometimes when using these words in an academic essay. Another example is be(b), is(s), are(r) and and(n).
I found an example regarding the usage of Text Messaging Language in the exam room.
Candidates unconsciously used as I explained before “u” for “you” and “r” for “are”. In addition from the article candidates even invented an abbreviation for “ToV” for the “Treaty of Versailles”, so does that mean in New Zealand it would be “ToW”? That’s a bit too much.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2609506/Text-message-language-in-A-levels-slammed-by-examiners.html
