It is worth recognizing that technology has its advantages and disadvantages in the formation of language, and in particular the cryptic sub-culture languages that make up slang. As mobile devices spread more commonly throughout the world, more languages are subject to participate in the international arena of ‘texting’ as small screens and services like Twitter encourage the application of shortened words and abbreviations. Slang has even been found to emerge as a result of predictive language software where, for example, while typing the word ‘cool’ he software would first suggest ‘book’ before being manually corrected. This has led to the adoption, albeit a slow one, of the word ‘book’ being used as a form of ‘cool’ (Hughes) Likewise, the technical term for missing web page, code 404, has been adopted by some to mean ‘clueless’. However, it is equally arguable that as more of our software determines the way we write our own writing skills are dwindling as a result.
It was recently found that among a group of 55 students asked to send and read out text messages either in standard English or its cousin 'textese', nearly half the students took twice as long to read messages aloud in comparison to standard English versions. As more of this slang spreads into the mainstream, much of which include blatant spelling errors and unnecessary abbreviations, ultimately it is this over-reliance in spelling technologies that may eventually redefine the formal informal.
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