txtng

I finished reading the book, "Txtng: the gr8 db8" by David Crystal, a linguistics professor (Oxford University Press).

Texting while driving is dangerous. That's obvious. But is texting a threat to our kids' education? Is texting causing a breakdown in real social interactions? Is it a waste of time?

David Crystal answers 'no.' He points out that we have been 'texting' for a long time--that is, texting is a form of using abbreviations. And we all use them. We send money to the IRS (that's texting for Internal Revenue Service). We watch the NFL (texting for...well, you know).

Crystal says that texting takes skill; it builds certain kinds of skills in the use of language. There are poems now written in texting language; there has been a novel (probably more than one) written entirely of text symbols. There are texting contests. Just this morning I open The Presbyterian Outlook magazine and saw a Psalm re-written in texting code.

Texting is simply another way to communicate. Sure, you can become obssessed with texting, just as you can become obssessed with reading or eating. But it's a way to connect. It can be fun too. People like to play with language and with words. (Crossword puzzles?) There is a novel written in 1939 by Ernest Wright entitled, Gadsby. It's an unusal novel in that there is not one 'e' vowel in the whole 50,000 words.

Some children have been found to overcome their shyness of isolation by the use of texting. They found they could connect with others on equal ground and be involved in the conversation.

I don't text, simply because of the cost to the phone bill (although I pay to use a Blackberry). But the use of different kinds of language appeals to me. Have you ever looked at a Hebrew Bible? There are no vowels; just consonants. It certainly looks like a 'texted' Bible. (Did God 'text' to Moses?)

We old folks need to lighten up and allow the younger people to help evolve our language. As I have led the Bible study in the Book of Revelation, I have once again been reminded of the power of symbols. Apocalyptic language has its own code. However we communicate with one another, we need to understand the code. If you're 'all thumbs,' texting might be for you. At least that's the way I see it, IMHO.