At any one time language is a kaleidoscope of styles, genres and dialects.

Sending a message on a mobile phone is not the most natural of ways to communicate. The keypad isn't linguistically sensible.

Research shows that those kids who text frequently are more likely to be the most literate and the best spellers, because you have to know how to manipulate language.

Anyone interested in language ends up writing about the sociological issues around it.

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

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

Word books traditionally focus on unusual and quirky items. They tend to ignore the words that provide the skeleton of the language, without which it would fall apart, such as 'and' and 'what,' or words that provide structure to our conversation, such as 'hello.