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

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

Language itself changes slowly but the internet has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly.

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.

Swearing makes an excellent relief mechanism

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.

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