October 12, 2008
WEB EXCLUSIVE
sms in cntxt
As our gadgets pile up, the way we use language is evolving at a breakneck pace. Young people are seizing on new ways of communicating, giving rise to new forms of language and a culture of rapid-fire digital conversation. Some critics say excessive texting could lead to linguistic corruption, but to others, the rise of SMS-speak (short message service) is simply a natural evolution, and at any rate, an inevitability. Here, Newsday explores new developments in the global language of the Information Age: from SMS fiction in Finland to the Japanese art of the mobile phone novel, and a quiz to test your grasp of SMS-speak.
--Michelle Chen
Further reading on SMS
- Textually.org is a Switzerland-based blog network "devoted to cell phones and mobile content, focusing on text messaging and cell phone usage around the world, tracking the latest news and social impact of these new technologies."
- Wikipedia's page on text messaging.
- Magic iLand's Japanese cell phone novel library.
- The Pew Internet and American Life Project's study on the impact of "exchanging emails, instant messages, texts, and social network posts" on communication among teens.
- Netlingo provides a comprehensive dictionary for SMS-speak and other Internet terminology.
Related links
-
SMS: Digital Age lingua franca.
- In Finland, storytelling via SMS.
- The art of the mobile phone novel in Japan.
- Quiz: Test your TXT IQ.
- Op-ed:
- In Finland, storytelling via SMS.
- Textually.org is a Switzerland-based blog network "devoted to cell phones and mobile content, focusing on text messaging and cell phone usage around the world, tracking the latest news and social impact of these new technologies."
- Wikipedia's page on text messaging.
- Magic iLand's Japanese cell phone novel library.
- The Pew Internet and American Life Project's study on the impact of "exchanging emails, instant messages, texts, and social network posts" on communication among teens.
- Netlingo provides a comprehensive dictionary for SMS-speak and other Internet terminology.
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