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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%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 24893
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 9 more reviews...
More than you ever wanted to know October 6, 2008
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
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.
Dissection of the texting culture from a linguist's perspective October 5, 2008
As I read this book and even before I knew the author's background, it was obvious that the author was involved in linguistics. He dissects the culture or "art" of texting into its fundamental mechanics and structure. I did not observe any sense of significant criticism or bias but in fact, he analyzes it from a neutral standpoint. I would recommend this book to the pre-Millennial generation whom do not understand texting or its purpose.
In reality, even Baby Boomers have been exposed to "texting" in the form of acronyms, which are essentially the backbones of modern corporate communication. Computer programmers and people who speak multiple languages should understand texting to be an "additional language" that evolved out of necessity due to the limitations of SMS messages. I do not agree with the excessive and unnecessary use of texting and abbreviations, but can understand its purpose as I find myself doing it on the iPhone or SMS for the sake of speed. The author took the time to cite examples of how school kids that commonly used texting for daily and informal communication balked at the thought of using text-speak for formal school writings or submissions. Clearly, there is an understanding between the proper use of the English language and texting.
I did not find this book as entertaining as I thought it would be, mainly because I understand the purpose of texting and how it fits into modern culture and society. It is a quick read and does contain a useful "glossary" in the back for those that want to brush up on "textese."
 hghly rcmnded October 5, 2008
As the publisher's blurb states, David Crystal is indeed "a world-renowned linguist and prolific author on the uses and abuses of English." But don't read that to mean he's another Richard Lederer. Professor Crystal can count the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language and the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language among his works, and holds a Ph.D. from University College London, where he studied under the venerable Randolph Quirk. So while this volume is relatively slim, it is a serious survey of text messaging -- mostly of the language, but also of the sociological phenomenon. That is not to say it is dry: Crystal had it illustrated with cartoons by Ed McLachlan, and sprinkles it with his own form of wit. It is indeed "entertaining and instructive--reassuring for worried parents and teachers... and fascinating for everyone interested in what's currently happening to language and communication." I might take issue with the blurb's assertion that it will be "illuminating for teenagers"--I don't know of many who would be interested in this sort of work who weren't, as I was, the children of a linguist--but perhaps an inquisitive sort will pick up his or her parents' copy off their coffee table for a look.
I must admit to being slightly disappointed by the editing and typesetting, but only slightly. However, I do expect near-perfection from the Oxford University Press. Crystal refers to Wikipedia on pages 159 and 160 when he obviously means Wikinews, and the typesetters' rendering of Cyrillic on page 133 is positively bizarre (using an upside-down "h" to represent the Russian letter transliterated as "ch"). Then again, the legal-info page notes OUP has outsourced their typesetting to an outfit in Pondicherry, India, so perhaps that explains a bit.
Also, for those, like me, who have been known to read dictionaries, you will not want to miss the appendix, which contains text-messaging abbreviations in 11 languages besides English: Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Welsh. I now know that "@b" ("ateb") means "answer" in Welsh and "koi29" ("quoi de neuf") means "what's new" in French.
(insert random, texting style headline HERE) October 3, 2008
So how much influence did this book have over me? Well, it made me go out and finally activate the text messaging feature on my phone. Now I can annoy my soon-to-be-former friends 24/7. I'm sure they'll love me to no end.
This is an interesting little book examining the text messaging phenomenon from a linguistic angle. The writer points out that language often changes, that we've always used abbreviations and contractions, and that, basically, people need to get off their high horses and stop whining about how text messaging is ruining our culture and destroying the minds of a generation.
The book is reasonably short and entertainingly written. The appendices take up about 1/3 of the book and will tell you how to text people in eleven different languages. Always handy, one feels. The writing is intelligent and compelling and makes its points clear.
Ultimately I must say the book changed my views on texting. I always viewed it as conversations poor second cousin, and nothing worth spending time on. Now? I don't think it's the second coming of anything, but I have more respect, more tolerance and more interest, by far, than I had before reading the book.
In summation, and since I can't resist, plz buy this book u will really njoy it cuz its really gr8 k?
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