Instant messaging -- a new language?

For many adults over the age of 30, the former groupings of letters would seem incoherent, but for a newer generation of technologically-savvy young adults it can say a lot.

“Instant messaging, or IM, is not just bad grammar or a bunch of mistakes,” says Dr. Pamela Takayoshi, Kent State University associate professor of English. “IM is a separate language form from formal English and has a common set of language features and standards.”

Takayoshi, Kent State associate professor of English Dr. Christina Haas and four Kent State undergraduate researchers examined the language of instant messaging. Using IM conversations produced by college students, the group analyzed and identified nonstandard features of the IM language, or the places where writers had used language features which varied from Standard Written English.

They found that what looked like nonstandard features of written language were, actually, the standardized features within the IM language. The language of instant messaging was found to be informal, explicit, playful, both abbreviated and elaborated, and to emphasize meaning over form and social relationships over content.

“When we look at the kinds of technology young people are using today,” says Haas, “we see that many of those technologies — IM, blogs and Facebook — are writing technologies. Even the phone is used for writing now.”

Currently, the Kent State team is extending their analysis of IM to the popular Web site Facebook.com to determine whether the site’s language is similar or different to instant messaging standards.

Source: Kent State University

Related stories:

Police wnt u to fight crime w/txt msgs
(AP) -- Police in the 1970s urged citizens to "drop a dime" in a pay phone to report crimes anonymously. Now in an increasing number of cities, tipsters are being invited to use their thumbs - to identify criminals using text messages.
Probing Question: Why can a stroke victim remember some things and not others?
The brain is the most beautifully complex organ in the human body. Three pounds of evolutionary genius, the brain provides both the hardware and software for controlling all behavior through an intricate system of synaptic messaging.
Are SMBs Ready for Cisco's Swiss Army Knife of Connectivity?
It remains to be seen whether small businesses really need Cisco's new product package that includes VOIP, LAN switching, routing, VPN, firewall and wireless LAN.
Microsoft Releases Visual Studio Tools for Applications SDK
Microsoft has announced the release of a software development kit for its Visual Studio Tools for Applications tool set; the company also released a new Office Business Application Reference Application Pack.
Texts to reveal 'Whodunnit'
Psychologists at the University of Leicester are to investigate texting language to provide new tools for criminal investigation.
Bombay Dabbawalas go high-tech
For over a century they delivered hot lunch in packages to thousands of Bombay's working people with almost faultless efficiency without the help of information technology. But now Bombay's ubiquitous Dabbawalas lunch deliverymen have realized that they need to go high-tech after all -- not only to expand their business but also for their social security.
Me little late meeting sorry sorry
The newest language for mobile text messaging looks like hieroglyphics and sounds like a caveman. The language is Zlango, and its creators aim to inject whimsy and emotion into text messaging while reducing the number of keystrokes needed to get the point across.
Rivals fight to bring mobi e-mail to China
They have cell phones by the hundreds of millions. Now the international telecom companies are hoping to bring a mobile e-mail service to the 400 million mobile users in China, 10 million of who are also potential 3G subscribers.

News discussion:

General Science news