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Abstract
Text messaging is by now a ubiquitous form of computer-mediated communication, especially among university students. An increasing body of research has examined the written language used in text messaging, but little or no data exist regarding how the use of non-conventional spellings, or ‘textisms’, may change over time as people adapt their written language to fit with advances in communication technology. This study reports on naturalistic messages gathered in four consecutive years from four cohorts of Australian first-year undergraduates. Textism use (in particular, ‘contractives’ such as <wht> for <what>) decreased during this time period, in step with the use of newer text-entry systems (e.g., predictive software). Compared to males, females used significantly more textisms in general, and more expressive textisms (letters added for expressive intent, such as <whaaat?!!> for <what>) in particular. Overall, our results suggest that textism use may continue to decrease as abbreviated language loses its practicality in a landscape of improved technology.
We would like to thank Imogen Svoboda for her help with this research. Financial assistance was provided to the first author in the form of an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship from the Australian Government and an Elite Research Scholarship from the University of Tasmania.
We would like to thank Imogen Svoboda for her help with this research. Financial assistance was provided to the first author in the form of an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship from the Australian Government and an Elite Research Scholarship from the University of Tasmania.