1. Emily Kaibel-Moore

2.  Youth today use ‘text talk’ or ‘chat-speak’  Text messaging – the exchange of a brief written message from a mobile phone to another  Most predominant ‘texters’ are Gen Y and Z

3.  Many popular abbreviations that are widely understood  Autocorrect can discourage use  Common abbreviations include: - replacing the beginning or ending of a word with a number (e.g. 2day, gr8) - Words or phrases shortened to acronyms (e.g. LOL, OMG, BTW) - Removal of conjunctions (e.g. “I’ll be home soon” becomes “home soon”

4.  Words that have been around for centuries now have new meanings  Text – a body of writing and a message being sent to someone  Menu – a list of meals served at a restaurant and a list of options on a phone  Contact – the act of touching something and a person whose number is saved onto the phone

5.  Situation of person can determine the style of language they use  Language choice can vary depending on who the message is being sent to  The purpose of the message will influence language - e.g. a reminder sent to a parent could be “remember train tickets” whereas a new message would be “Could you please buy a train ticket on your way home tonight?”  People with Smart phones are more likely to use full words than someone with a standard mobile phone

6.  Language choices can reflect an individuals personality or relationship with the other person  Message being sent to a friend would be different to one sent to a parent  Person may want to be seen as cool by their mates but responsible by their parents  Language choices are dictated by the identity they want to create for themselves

7.  Capitalisation, punctuation and grammar have been swapped for a less stable style of writing  Negatives: - may cause vocabulary of youth to shrink or not develop - contribute to youth having more trouble expressing themselves with extended vocabulary  Positives: - students know when and when not to use casual and formal language - youth may have a more extended vocabulary from being able to switch between communication styles - speeds up writing skills by taking away the difficulties of the English language - can liberate people with learning difficulties communication skills - discreet - less expensive than voice calls

9.  Andre, (2008) “Six Reasons to Use Text Messages Instead of Voice Calls” http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/07/11/six-reasons-to-use- text-messages-instead-of-voice-calls/ (24 March 2012) Andre, (2008) “Six Reasons to Use Text Messages Instead of Voice Calls” http://tools-for-thought.com/2008/07/11/six-reasons-to-use- text-messages-instead-of-voice-calls/  O’Neill, Nancy, “10 Reasons Why People Text Instead of Talk” http://onedotadvice.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/10-reasons-why- people-text-instead-of-talk/ (24 March 2012) http://onedotadvice.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/10-reasons-why- people-text-instead-of-talk/  Wikipedia, (26 March 2012) “Text messaging” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_messaging (visited 27 March 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_messaging  Moccia, Tom (20 October 2010) “Nielsen Documents Who Texts the Most” http://www.technobuffalo.com/news/nielsen- documents-who-texts-the-most/ (28 March 2012)http://www.technobuffalo.com/news/nielsen- documents-who-texts-the-most/  Pauze, Jeremy (15 February 2011) “Texting and its Effects on the English Language and on Childs Learning” http://oldsmunicipallibrary.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/texting-and- its-effects-on-english.html (28 March 2012) http://oldsmunicipallibrary.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/texting-and- its-effects-on-english.html (28