We’ve come a long way with the written word. Was this the first text message?
This post about written communication was originally posted on Blogfinger in March, 2011 (linked below,) but is now updated here. Being a blogger, this topic interests me, as it probably does for most people who like to communicate effectively. There now is a new book called “The Sense of Style–The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century” by Steven Pinker from Harvard. Our post today is not a book review (I just ordered a copy) but it indicates that writing style, like language itself, is an evolving subject. Here is a link to a Time magazine review of Pinker’s book: Time reviews writing style book Also, in the 2011 BF article linked below are the names of two fun books on this topic.
Things haven’t changed drastically since 2011, but I think that text messaging has become more pervasive, and email less so. More adults have adopted text messaging since then and have found it to be a useful way to communicate. Text messaging causes a communiqué to be read quicker than emails, and there is less chance that a message might be overlooked. Of course, texts tend to be very brief and are not conducive to substantial conversations, although, for some, that is a good thing. It is a form of “hit and run” communication. Facebook is becoming even more dominant as a way for people to “speak” to each other, but personally I find Facebook to be too chaotic. Tweeting is also gaining in popularity, but such brief messages fail to convey any depth.
Our email inboxes are more crowded than ever, often with commercials, and some of us have taken the time to unsubscribe to many senders and erase hundreds or thousands of emails. On the Internet, there is a growing loss of customer service where some large commercial web sites no longer even offer a phone number for customers to contact them via a real conversation. Many companies are demanding that we do all our business on web sites, and that can be frustrating when one’s issue is not easily dealt with on-line. Not all web sites are carefully designed (witness the mess when the ACA was first rolled out last year.)
Voice recognition software, like Siri (on the iPhone,) once perfected, will make it easier to compose a message without typing with those tiny keyboards. But even now, I try to use Siri despite its shortcomings because I really dislike typing on a phone.
Finally, as far as effective communication is concerned, none of these methods conveys the tone of voice or facial expression that comprise the nonverbal dimensions of meaning. This is where a phone call or even a voice mail, or, even better, an in-person discussion can reduce the chances of miscommunication. I suspect that misunderstandings are rampant as people rush through the process of communicating with digital devices.
And, of course, fewer people send letters or hand written notes anymore. I discovered some time ago that my handwriting has deteriorated somewhat since the advent of word processing. I also have found that I am not such a good speller since spell check and Google have been developed, but that’s a good thing. Yet, on Blogfinger, people still misspell simple words. One person always spells folks as folx, even though we correct it every time. Maybe looking up a word in a dictionary is a better way to remember spelling, or maybe people are just stuck with words they will never spell right.
These are just some of the issues that are evolving since 2011. What do you think? What have you observed about your abilities to communicate as they have evolved into 2014?
Here is a link to the 2011 BF article on this subject: 2011 BF post on written communication
MUSIC. Is letter writing extinct? Do any of you write letters–even if only to yourself? Here’s Anne Murray:
Despite so many people’s sloppiness, regarding rules of grammar, for the sake of expedition, I feel that, overall, cognitively, it is a beneficial thing for both literacy and human intelligence. As to proper grammar and diction, that is primarily the responsibility of teachers and parents, but at least, now, they are working with students who have incorporated reading and writing into their everyday lives.
I’ll cast my vote for proper punctuation and just about anything else that provides clarity in communication. Remember the confusing ballot in Florida?!
I’m in the middle of my senior year as a communications and culture major (online, through CUNY), and David Crystal’s book is an excellent guide as to when it is appropriate to use text speak (looking at you, Mom!) and when an occasion requires more formal writing. I dislike text speak simply because I don’t want to sound like a 12-year-old girl.
Agreed on the semicolons. They are also helpful in headlines.
I write with semicolons; they’re useful when you have two independent clauses that you want to be more closely related than two separate sentences would be. That last sentence would be an example.
The semicolon is too versatile to become extinct. Some people think that it is half as important as a colon, but they are semi-knowledgeable. It is essential to distinguish a semicolon from a hemicolon. The former is a form of punctuation; the latter is an anatomic situation. PG
I know a woman who says she prefers text messaging to email because email is too “formal” — by which she means that emails require greater attention to grammatical correctness. I suppose it’s all relative.
Although I’ve gotten lots of emails from this woman, I’ve never in my life received a snail-mail letter from her. She probably considers that way, way high on the formality scale — up there with Supreme Court decisions, Papal encyclicals and Larry King’s prenuptual agreements.
I recall an attempt by a newspaper (Chi. Tribune???) to use phoenetic spelling, e.g. nite instead of night. Did not catch on then but emails received from the grandchildren say everything IS changed; there is no going back.
ken.
BTW Am I the last user of the semi-colon (;)?
k.