As I get older and I get a few more years experience I become more like Dad, you know, King Lear.

Texting has added a new dimension to language use, but its long-term impact is negligible. It is not a disaster.

Academics don't normally manage to alter people's way of thinking through their strength of argument.

Spellings are made by people. Dictionaries - eventually - reflect popular choices.

Ever since the arrival of printing - thought to be the invention of the devil because it would put false opinions into people's minds - people have been arguing that new technology would have disastrous consequences for language.

The internet is an amazing medium for languages.

Text messaging is just the most recent focus of people's anxiety; what people are really worried about is a new generation gaining control of what they see as their language.