Texting on a regular basis can actually help children improve their reading, writing and spelling skills, a linguistic expert has said.
David Crystal, a professor at Bangor University in Wales, believes that, thanks to texting, children are reading and writing more than ever before. More than 2,000 new words have come about as a result of texting and the digital age, reports inquisitr.com. The professor calls this a “linguistic revolution”.
“People say text messaging will harm your spelling,” he noted at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai. “No… it helps you to spell better. This is because it focuses your mind on the connection between sound and letters. The best texters are the best spellers.
“People say young people don’t read and write any more. They may not necessarily read… Shakespeare or Charles Dickens, but have you ever seen a teenager not reading? Young people read probably more than I did when I was that age.”
The invention of 2,000 new words has not had a major impact, negative or otherwise, on the English language, Mr Crystal adds. This is likely because English is made up of more than a million words already.
Moreover, the professor explained that modern teenagers do not use abbreviations, such as “c u l8r”, any more, reports thedailystar.net, which could be another reason why texting isn’t having a negative effect on young people’s spelling ability.
