MY HYPOTHESIS: Text communication is more similar to speech than formal language

MY QUESTION: Is text communication more similar to speech than formal language?

Linguists have estimated there to have been over thirty-one thousand languages to have existed since the time that humans had first learned to communicate to one another. To communicate, people did this mainly by sounds and gestures and then it developed into speech. Since then, humans have developed many other ways to communicate with each other, such as texting. Text communication has been shaping our lives since the first-ever successful text was sent out in 1992 and it has started to affect the way that people speak to others in such ways of abbreviations, using hyperbole, and the slang words we create and use. These language effects have slowly made their way into the way people write too.

Hyperbole or paralinguistic features are an exaggeration. It is used when a person is wanting to exaggerate something, more than what it really is. Hyperbole can be expressed through sound but also by facial expressions and/or gestures. People don’t just use hyperbole in direct speech, but in text communication as well, in which it is used to a very high degree and very easy to do. For example, when texting with the use of paralinguistic features, such as the world-known smile emoji, it is used to show the reader of the text conversation that the text writer has a positive mindset on what they had just written. The downfall of using an emoji, like the smile one, is that the emoji is able to cover up how the text writer is feeling. For instance, when words such as “I’m fine” pop into a text conversation with an emoji at the end, it can easily be mistaken for a good thing rather than something that is not. But when speaking while face to face, you are able to tell how a person is feeling when they are talking as you can see their facial emotions and bodily gestures. Though, while face to face, the speaker is still able to exaggerate by lengthening out how they speak a word or words. In formal language, no exaggeration takes place as every word that is spoken or written is there for a purpose.

The use of slang is found all around the world as it is part of the colloquial language that people use every day. Slang is one of the most common and functional styles of speech which is used in text communication too. Every country has different slang words that they use to communicate with each other and very so much only them. For instance, in New Zealand, one of the slang words they use to call New Zealand born people is that of a “Kiwi”. This is typically a word that only “Kiwis” would use, but it is used to show that the word has something to do with New Zealand as no other country will use it. When texting, the word “kiwi” is a faster and more effective way to say “New Zealander”, which is what the people from New Zealand call themselves. People from the ages of when they are teens to their early 20’s are more likely to use slang as they use it to look cool and, in some cases, to show dominance as some slang words can be spoken with a harsh tone. When using slang words, they are typically closer to text speech rather than formal speech as it will not be a formal way of saying it. Slang is a very messy but quick way to say what is needed to be said while formal speech is very tidy and more of a long way to say what is needed to be said. Formal language is very structured, so there is no use of slang words ever.

While texting, a person is communicating from a distance instead of being face to face, so making and creating the words to be shorter that the person is texting can be ideal when wanting to send a message fast. As the use of technology had blown up to extraordinary heights over the past 30 years, these words that we are shortening, or also known as an abbreviation, are making an impact on our everyday speech. For instance, an everyday word such as “don’t” is an abbreviation for “do not”. When texting, the text writer will use the word “don’t” as a quicker and more effective way to get their point across to the text reader, and because “don’t” is used in our everyday vocabulary the text reader will understand. In formal language, the words “do not” will be used because, unlike text language, no two words are meant to be joined and, for example, if a person were to use the abbreviation of “prob” it could mean a series of words such as probably, probability, and probable. Unless the reader or listener knows exactly what the point that the writer or speaker is trying to get across, then it would be hard to understand what the abbreviation stands for. Nowadays, text language is in more closeness with speech than formal language, this is why abbreviations are used.

In conclusion, text communication is more similar to speech rather than formal language as there are many different effects that have rubbed off on the way people speak to each other such as hyperbole, slang and abbreviations. Text communication has had a massive impact on human speech and still continues to every day. On the other hand, formal language has not had an impact as it is a more structured and tidy way to say something while people would rather a quick and easier way to say what is needed to be said.