The Value of Text Messaging According to John Humphrys and David Crystal

Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Value of text messaging: John Humphrys, in "I H8 Text Msgs", and David Crystal, in "2b or Not 2b?
To John Humphrys in "I H8 Text Msgs, text messages have had a negative impact on people’s writing skills. As more young people rely on texting it is likely that this will diminish their ability to communicate effectively in English. Humphrys is particularly alarmed at texting having become the norm among some sections of the society, while the use f dictionaries could be on the decline because of this On the other hand David Crystal argues that texting is potentially beneficial in improving writing. Crystal further highlights on the use of texting to enrich languages and ideas. Crystal begins by quoting Humphrys who states that, “texters….They are destroying it: pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. And they must be stopped.” (Crystal). This essay highlights on Crystal’s argument for texting as being more compelling than Humphrys’ account against the use of texting.
David Crystal seeks to debunk the message that texting is bad for language, and mentioning critics of messaging helps to give the reader a clear picture on arguments advances against texting. However, in his attempt to further bolster his claims he fails to give a compelling argument for texting in the first paragraph. The first paragraph in any writing provides insights on the direction that a writer would wish to take. It appears as though, Crystal desired to counter the prevailing argument against texting. John Humphrys surmises that technology has not necessarily enhanced writing skills, texting is to blame for increased removal of abbreviations where they are required in today’s dictionary. There is an assumption that future writers’ might become less concerned about proper grammar, meaning that communication would be more difficult.
David crystal is right to point out that texting is not fairly recent, having being around since the 1990’. Even though, abbreviations have been for longer periods of time, the sender and receiver of such messages both understood the intended meaning. On the other hand, Humphrys merely seems to take a conservative view on the issue of texting among the younger generation at present, by ignoring the past when abbreviations were used. “My old friend Amanda Platell, who graces these pages on Saturdays, has an answerphone message that says the caller may leave a message but she'd prefer a text. One feels so inadequate,” (Humphrys) The two authors rely on different strategies to highlight on their ideas, Humphrys tries to rally against language distortions based on the time tested grammatical rules. David Crystal takes a divergent view focusing on the present, with texting merely a form of writing that characterizes today’s youth, with no seemingly negative impact on their language skills.
David Crystal arguments are bolstered by taking into account changes that have taken place within language use. Written language as seen in mobile phone devices is not new, and it is the perceptions about texting that are wrong. Humphrys stated that there is a need to put an end to the phenomenon of texti...