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Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 | 
 enlarge | Author: David Crystal
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.97
You Save: $9.98 (50%)
New (33) Used (8) from $9.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 45294
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0199544905
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.692
EAN: 9780199544905
ASIN: 0199544905
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
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Product Description
Text messaging has spread like wildfire, especially among young people, who appear to spend most of their time texting, and are unwilling to write much else. Indeed the phenomena is so widespread that many parents, teachers, and media pundits have been outspoken in their criticism of it. Does texting spell the end of western civilization?
In this humorous, level-headed and insightful book, David Crystal argues that the panic over texting is misplaced. Crystal, a world renowned linguist and prolific author on the uses and abuses of English, here looks at every aspect of the phenomenon of text-messaging and considers its effects on literacy, language, and society. He explains how texting began, how it works, who uses it, and how much it is used, and he shows how to interpret the mixture of pictograms, logograms, abbreviations, symbols, and wordplay typically used in texting. He looks at its manifestations in different languages, and explores the ways similar devices have been used in different eras. He finds that the texting system of conveying sounds and concepts goes back a long way--to the very origins of writing. And far from hindering children's literacy, texting turns out to help it.
Illustrated with original art by Ed MacLachlan, the popular cartoonist whose work has appeared in Punch, Private Eye, New Statesman, and many other publications, Txting: The Gr8 Db8 is entertaining and instructive--reassuring for worried parents and teachers, illuminating for teenagers, and fascinating for everyone interested in what's currently happening to language and communication.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
The Virtues of Text-Messaging from a Linguist's Perspective. October 11, 2008
Linguist David Crystal takes on the antagonists of text messaging in "Txtng: The Gr8 Db8", a look at what texting is, who does it, why, and what it all means for language. With half the world's population in possession of a mobile phone, and the numbers of text messages sent per year expected to reach an astonishing 2.4 trillion by 2010, texting is a huge linguistic phenomenon. It's pervasiveness has sparked a frenzy of outrage from journalists and educators who predict that texting will mean a decline in literacy and upsurge of bad spelling. "Txtng; The Gr8 Db8" challenges those predictions. As a linguist, Crystal sees any writing exercise as inherently good for people and texting as "one of the most innovative linguistic phenomena of modern times".
"Txtng" is written for a broad audience of educators, parents, texting teens, and anyone who might be curious or concerned about the texting craze. It is detailed enough to illuminate texting from a linguistic point of view but avoids analysis that would be arcane to laypeople. As this is not a book only for texters, Crystal begins by explaining exactly what texting is and what makes it distinctive. He points out that the use of pictograms, logograms, initialisms, truncations, and nonstandard spellings is not new, but the way in which texters combine these things may be. Crystal tackles the idiosyncrasies of texting in different languages, and, although he admits that there is limited data on the subject, I found the discussion of bilingual texting and code-mixing pretty fascinating.
So, why all the fuss? That is the title of the book's final chapter and its raison d'etre. David Crystal is out to dispel the panic and convince us of texting's merits. He succeeds. His enthusiasm for this "new dimension" of language is infectious. People communicating in rebuses? That's pretty neat. But I never thought that texting made people illiterate. My bugaboo is that texting, and cell phones in general, encourages compulsive behavior. Instead of waiting to get home to call or write, by which time a person has realized that the fleeting thought is not worth the trouble, people call or text everything that pops into their minds. Diarrhea of the brain. They appear to have no control over their behavior. And texters expect an immediate response to every inanity, so potential recipients must adopt a constant State of Emergency. At least texting has the virtue of being silent.
"Txting: The Gr8 Db8" is an exploration of the text messaging phenomenon from a linguistic perspective, and, as such, it is fun and thoughtful, even if you've never sent a text message. And, if you've never sent a text message, you will appreciate the Appendices of text abbreviations with their meanings from English and 11 other languages. They will be helpful in deciphering the textese that occasionally makes an appearance in more formal kinds of communication where it (ahem) shouldn't be. I don't blame texting for that. The seepage of inappropriate language into formal and professional communication, where it is both rude and not likely to be understood, is part of a larger problem that leaves too many people unable or unwilling to distinguish between familiar and formal contexts for both written and spoken language.
Txtng 101 October 10, 2008
If you are casually interested in linguistics, or text messaging in general, this book offers a quick read about the topic. I was in college when IMing and texting was just starting to gain popularity. I wrote a paper about it then, with almost no references available at the time, for a history of language course. I would have loved to have this book as a reference then! Language is always changing and this book offers insight into how technology is affecting many of the current changes. It also discusses how the changes aren't as revolutionary as the media supposes. The book reads like a well-written college paper, readable but a little dry at times.
Interesting, although a bit much at times. October 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As an English teacher (high school) I found much of this very interesting. Throughout history, whenever some new set of slang has come along, we've feared that it will be the end of the English language and that our children are losing brain cells by the minute. This book will reassure anyone in doubt that texting takes some creative and sometimes complex thinking.
I found a lot of the codes particularly interesting. Although I'm "only" 29 years old, I find some of the texting a bit cryptic. So it was very helpful to learn the meaning and methodology of my students' texting.
This book is very researched base. Great if you're writing a paper on texting. A bit too much for the average reader to get through.
More than you ever wanted to know October 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I opened txtng expecting a social commentary and was met with the equivalent of a research paper.
The good news, is that David Crystal has clearly put a lot of effort into this book in an attempt to move beyond the sensationalist headlines you might expect from your nightly news "new study reveals lower test scores as a result of text messaging".
The bad news, is that it reads like you would expect of a book with sources at the bottom of 1/3 of the pages.
239 pages, but 64 of those are glossary/reference and the pages are small, so it really is a quick read. Unfortunately, some of the chapters still feel like they go on forever. For example, Chapter 7 - "How do other languages do it?" had my eyes glossing over as I tried in vain to make myself care about the text abbreviations in 10+ other languages.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is genuinely curious about the history and usage of the text message medium, and perhaps for the parents who have become concerned about the effects of texting on their childs lives. If, however, you are looking for a little "light reading"... keep browsing.
 Interesting, but bland October 5, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was drawn to this book as it is quite noticeable the rise in texting among my generation. However, I was disappointed when the author failed to really address why. He talks about people addicted to word play, but the book could not keep my attention long enough to show why the fad has taken the world by storm. There are positives, but for the most part, this is a book you skim in Barnes & Nobles.
By the way, the book is annoying to hold.
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