LANGUAGE
TEXT MESSAGING
R. McMahon/Corbis
Young people: how does texting affect their use of language?
The joy of
txt
8ung Abk! Ist die jüngere Generation vor lauter SMS-Schreiben dabei, ihr Sprachgefühl zu verlieren und ihre Ausdrucksweise zu verhunzen? Der Sprachwissenschaftler David Crystal hat diese Vorwürfe untersucht. MIKE PILEWSKI führte ein exklusives Interview mit ihm. 16 Spotlight
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abbreviation [əbrivieiʃən] affect sth. [əfekt] beast [bist] eventually [iventʃuəli] extraordinary [ikstrɔdənəri] generate sth. [d enəreit] go down the drain [ əυ daυn ðə drein] ifml. hoax [həυks] incapable: be ~ of doing sth. [inkeipəbəl] keypad [kip d] literacy [litərəsi] novel [nɒvəl] sequence [sikwəns] so far [səυ fɑ] supposedly [səpəυzidli] texting [tekstiŋ] UK urban myth [bən miθ]
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Abkürzung etw. beeinflussen Kreatur; hier: Ding schließlich außergewöhnlich etw. auslösen/erzeugen vor die Hunde gehen Täuschung unfähig sein, etw. zu tun Tastatur Lese- und Schreibfähigkeit neu(artig) Abfolge bis zu einem gewissen Punkt angeblich SMS-Nachrichten schreiben Großstadtlegende; hier: moderne Legende
that essay, which turned out to be a complete hoax. Nobody has ever found that essay or found the teacher or anything. It was a myth. But that’s what people believe, and if you asked all your readers of Spotlight or any newspaper, “Do you believe this?” people would say, “Yes, I believe this. I believe that text messaging is full of abbreviations and that it’s a disaster for literacy.” Now, I wrote my book because I never believed that. You can demonstrate quite clearly that all those things are wrong. How do you do this?
First of all, text messaging is not full of abbreviations. Ninety per cent of the words are in perfectly standard English, standard German, standard whatever. That’s because, when you’re sending messages, you want to understand each other, and abbreviations will only take you so far in that direction. Second, the abbreviations that are used are not novel. They’re not invented by the children. Most of the abbreviations that are used in text messaging, like “c u l8r” (for “see you later”), have been around for hundreds of years, and there’s nothing new about them at all. People have always abbreviated in English and in German. You can find abbreviations going back centuries, right to the beginnings of English in Anglo-Saxon times. Third, most of the text messages in the world are not written by children, but by adults and by institutions:
urit ius
“Debate” is probably the wrong word for it, because a debate is usually two sides arguing about a particular point where there’s some basis in fact. Here we have a situation where the debate is based entirely on an urban myth that started soon after texting arrived. Now, texting is less than ten years old. Suddenly this phenomenon arrived, and it generated an extraordinary reaction — a moral panic, almost — about the nature of this beast. In Britain, a media piece appeared around 2003, describing an essay supposedly written by a schoolchild entirely in abbreviations of the text-messaging kind. She passed it to her teacher, who couldn’t understand a word of it. The report then said that this shows how modern children are incapable of using standard English, how it’s a breakdown in the educational system, how children will grow up not knowing how to spell, how they will fail their examinations. They will become adults who will not know how to use the language, and eventually the English language and other languages will go down the drain, and it’ll be an absolute disaster. Well, nobody ever questioned
“People like to believe that text messaging will destroy language”
Ma
What is the “great debate” about texting?
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David Crystal: studying how language changes
C. Sinibaldi/Guardian
anguage has always been changing and will continue to change — and David Crystal is there to document it. The honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, wrote the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. More recently, as the author of Language and the Internet, Crystal has kept his eye on the way new technology is affecting our use of language. His latest subject is texting, or text messaging. In txtng: the gr8 db8, Crystal looks at the strange and wonderful possibilities that telephone keypads offer, from textonyms (words produced by pressing the same sequence of keys) to textisms (words or abbreviations invented for use in the medium). The book’s 240 pages also include a glossary of text-message abbreviations in 11 languages. Crystal’s central theme, though, is how and why people are writing text messages and what effect this might be having on language. Spotlight asked him what he’s discovered.
TRAVEL
WALES
King of the castles Geschichte ist greifbar in den von Eduard I. erbauten walisischen Burgen. Lassen Sie sich von der Vergangenheit verführen, und genießen Sie den historischen Kitzel eines Besuchs in einem dieser grandiosen Gemäuer. INEZ SHARP nimmt Sie mit dorthin.
36 Spotlight
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Happily for the modern traveller, the tradition of hospitality is alive and well. For a flavour of Wales, Bwyty Ogof Y Ddraig (“The Dragon’s Cave”) in Hole in the Wall Street is a restaurant serving Welsh food. English royalty are represented at The Plas Dinas Country House, just outside Caernarfon. Plas Dinas was once the home of Antony Armstrong-Jones, former husband of Princess Margaret and uncle to the current Prince of Wales. Today, it is a luxury guest house complete with four-poster beds. Beaumaris Castle was the last of Edward’s castles. It lies on the Isle of Anglesey, only 12 miles (19 kilometres) east of Caernarfon, but with an atmosphere that is a world away from the busy castle town. Like most of the king’s fortresses, Beaumaris can be approached by water. This was an important consideration in the building of castles, which, during an attack, might need to receive supplies by boat. Compared to Conwy or Caernarfon, though, Beaumaris is not a dramatic structure, its walls seeming to lie low in the water. But this gentle appearance is deceptive. Edward’s architect, James of St George, this time modelled his plans on castles in France and the Middle East and created a technically perfect structure, its strength becoming apparent only as you explore the interior. The double walls provided cover for archers, and staggered entries based on Arabic designs were thought to make the fortress impossible to capture. Today, visitors can walk around the ruined interior of Beaumaris and enjoy the castle’s idyllic location. It’s easy enough to get “castled out”, at least for a short time, in Snowdonia, but the mountainous landscape, which frustrated English attackers for hundreds of years, hides many exciting experiences for the modern visitor. Eighteen miles (29 km) south of Caernarfon, across the Lleyn Peninsula, lies the slate port of Porthmadog — the starting point of the Ffestiniog Railway. Built between 1833 and 1836, the railway brought slate from the quarries
Llandudno Isle of Beaumaris Anglesey Conwy Garth Celyn Betwys-y-coed Dolwyddelan Blaenau Porthmadog Ffestiniog
Caernarfon
Snowdonia
around Blaenau Ffestiniog, 20 kilometres away in the mountains of Snowdonia. By the 1930s, the slate industry had gone into decline, taking the narrow-gauge Ffestiniog Railway with it. Thanks to a group of railway enthusiasts, however, the railway was revived and is now a major tourist attraction. Travelling through the dramatic Snowdonian landscape up to Blaenau Ffestiniog today is an unforgettable experience. From Ffestiniog, it’s only a short car trip to Betws-yCoed. The small town is a paradise for shoppers and hikers. Here you can buy traditional Welsh woollen clothes and visit the tourist office to find out about local walks. Perhaps, though, it is best to round off a trip to North Wales by visiting Dolwyddelan, close to Betws-y-Coed. The Dolwyddelan castle is a true Welsh fortress, built by the forefathers of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd; it’s said to be the birthplace of Llywelyn’s grandfather. A walk up the castle keep will give you a wonderful view of the landscape, which the Welsh fought so long to defend. G apparent [əprənt] approach sth. [əprəυtʃ] archer [ɑtʃə] capture sth. [kptʃə] deceptive: be ~ [diseptiv] decline [diklain] four-poster bed [ fɔ pəυstə bed] get castled out [ et kɑsəld aυt] hospitality [ hɒspitləti] interior [intiəriə] keep [kip] narrow-gauge [ nrəυ eid] quarry [kwɒri] recreate sth. [ rikrieit] revive sth. [rivaiv] staggered [stəd] weave (pp. woven) [wiv] youth hostel [juθ hɒstəl]
deutlich sich etw. nähern Bogenschütze etw. einnehmen täuschen Niedergang Himmelbett unter Burgen-Müdigkeit leiden Gastfreundschaft Innere Bergfried, Wehrturm SchmalspurStein-, Schieferbruch etw. nachempfinden etw. wiederaufleben lassen (gegeneinander) versetzt weben Jugendherberge
I F YO U G O. . . Getting there Lufthansa flies from Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich to Manchester. From there, you can travel by train or car to north Wales.
Where to stay
The Plas Llwyd, a family-run guest house only two minutes’ walk from Llandudno town centre at 37 Lloyd WALES St.; tel. (0044) 1492-870 271; www 0 10 Km N Cardiff .visitllandudno.com/accommodation/ The Plas Dinas Country House is a luxury guest house three kilometres from Caernarfon in the village of Bontnewydd. Tel. (0044) 1286-830 214; www.plasdinas.co.uk The Vagabond Bunkhouse offers inexpensive youth-hostel-style accommodation. It’s located in Betws y Coed — ideal for walkers. Craiglan Road; tel. (0044) 1690-710 850; www.thevagabond.co.uk Manchester
At Trefriw Woollen Mills, you can see Welsh wool being woven, and you can buy local products: Trefriw, Conwy Valley; tel. (0044) 1492640 462; www.t-w-m.co.uk The National Slate Museum in Llanberis recreates the working conditions of quarrymen in the Welsh slate industry. Tel. (0044) 1286-870 630; www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/slate/ Ffestiniog Railway: You can check the times of trains at www .ffestiniograilway.co.uk
ENGLAND
Map: Nic Murphy
Liverpool
What to read Plenty of exiting books have been written about Edward and about Welsh history. Here are a few of our favourites. A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris, Hutchinson, ISBN 978-0-09-179684-6, €27.99. Matter of Wales: Epic Views of a Small Country by Jan Morris, 978-067088048-5, €32.69. A History of Modern Wales, 1536–1990, by Philip Jenkins, ISBN 9780-58248924-0, €64.27.
What to see
Further information
Plas Mawr, an Elizabethan town house. High St, Conwy; tel. (0044) 1492-580 167; www.conwy.com/plasmawr.html
Visit Wales: www.visitwales.com Visit Britain: www.visitbritain.com
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J. Cunningham
NEW AUTHORS M. Hunter
LITERATURE
Brian McGilloway
Matt Rees
Lin Anderson
J. Earwaker
Kate Atkinson
Four faces of
crime fiction Kein Mord zu blutig, keine Leiche zu verwest: Der Hunger echter Krimi-Leser kennt keine Grenzen. Deshalb stellt Ihnen JULIAN EARWAKER hier vier mörderisch gute Autoren der Gattung vor, die in den vier Ecken des Vereinigten Königreichs beheimatet sind. 42 Spotlight
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LITERATURE
NEW AUTHORS
Heart of darkness
Tomkins/VisitScotland/ScottishViewpoint
Edinburgh: a perfect setting for crime
dinburgh crime tends to be hidden, furtive,” says Ian Rankin, Britain’s best-selling crime writer (see Spotlight 2/03). It’s about conspiracies and things that are happening in the dark. ... It’s the city of Deacon Brodie, of people who seem to be one thing but are actually something else.” Growing up here in the mid-19th century, Robert Louis Stevenson would certainly have known of the duality of Deacon Brodie — respectable cabinetmaker by day, robber of his clients’ houses by night — before writing his classic horror story The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886). Arthur Conan Doyle was also born in the city. While studying at Edinburgh University, he met Dr Joseph Bell. Bell was a deductive medical genius who provided the inspiration for the most famous detective in history, Sherlock Holmes. A century or so later, a lively Scottish literary scene felt a new national confidence. Led by Rankin and his incomparable Inspector John Rebus, crime writers were now more comfortable with setting their mysteries and murders on home ground. Frederic Lindsay, Paul Johnston, Joyce Holms and Quintin Jardine were all writing here, as well as Alexander McCall Smith, creator of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, and amateur Edinburgh sleuth Isabel Dalhousie. Today, these voices have been joined by new talent, such as Lin Anderson (see page 45), Gillian Galbraith and Tony Black. Several authors live close to Rankin’s home in the Merchiston area of the city, which he cleverly calls “Writers’ Block”. J. K. Rowling also lives here and, it is said, may even be working on a crime novel. The city still offers a heightened sense of contrast — the feeling that beneath the surface, something less respectable is always going on. There is the juxtaposition of New Town and Old Town, of dimly lit alleyways and hidden passages close by the city’s wealthy tourist walkways. And in the evenings, the North Sea fog still rolls in from the east. Dominated by a precipitous castle with a long and often brutal history, Edinburgh cannot escape its past. Although Scotland’s capital has recently become cosmopolitan, crime writers will always see it as the place of murderous bodysnatchers Burke and Hare, and home to Deacon Brodie. It’s a city with a heart of darkness.
“E
Born in Derry (Londonderry), Northern Ireland, in 1974, when violence reached a high point, McGilloway writes about the effects of sectarianism in the North and attitudes towards the travelling community in the South. The narrative force of Borderlands arises from the no-man’s land between the two: the victim’s body is found lying “half in one country and half in another” and is therefore the responsibility of both the Garda Síochána (Devlin’s police force in the Republic) and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In 1920, the border that divides the island was drawn rather arbitrarily through fields, farms, rivers and even 44 Spotlight
homes. Now, writes McGilloway, “people live with the consequences, owning houses where TV licences are bought in the North and the electricity needed to run the TV is paid for in the South.” In his second novel, Gallows Lane (2008), Devlin continues to operate in this ambiguous border region, while battling his own conflicting loyalties and doubts. Today, McGilloway keeps a foot on both sides, carrying two types of money in his pocket, living with his family in the Republic while teaching English just over the border in Derry. These days, he says laughingly, he can even wander into a police station in the Republic and ask, in his Northern Irish accent, where they keep the guns — and they’ll tell him. www.brianmcgilloway.com
WALES Crossing many borders himself, Matt Rees was born in Newport, south Wales. He studied at Oxford University in England and the University of Maryland in the US. Then he worked in London, Washington, DC, and New York as a journalist. His move to the Middle East as a correspondent and editor for The Scotsman, Newsweek and Time gave him the inspiration for an award-winning series of crime novels featuring Palestinian detective Omar Yussef. “Omar is largely based on a Palestinian man I know and admire,” Rees told Mystery Scene magazine. “The core of my admiration for him is that he’s an honourable man who questions the way society deteriorates around him, and maintains his intelligence and decency even when others descend into hatred.” Rees now lives in Jerusalem. In his 2006 debut novel The Bethlehem Murders (US title: The Collaborator of Bethlehem), he introduces Omar Yussef, a history teacher working at Dehaisha refugee camp. When a former pupil is arrested and faces execution, Yussef turns detective to try to save him. In The Saladin Murders (2008; US title: A Grave in Gaza), Yussef again intervenes on behalf of a jailed colleague, and soon finds his own life in danger. The third book in the series, The Samaritan’s Secret, will be published in February 2009. It continues Rees’s exploration of the forces of division within Palestinian society. A fluent speaker of Arabic, Rees uses his Yussef novels to tell the stories he has not been able to write as a journalist. As he states in the preface to The Bethlehem Murders : “All the crimes in this book are based on real events in Bethlehem. Though identities and some circumstances have been changed, the killers really killed this way, and those who died are dead just the same.” www.mattbeynonrees.com 11/08
LANGUAGE
ENGLISH AT WORK
Cultural communication styles KEN TAYLOR looks at styles of communication in different cultures.
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stated clearly. Your partner will give you negative feedback in an indirect way — so indirect that you will sometimes not notice it.
Think about the personal space we need to feel comfortable when we communicate with each other.
hindo, a Japanese businessman, has come to discuss a work-related problem with Lena, who is German. Their conversation might take the following form. Lena: Can you get this done by Friday? Shindo: Yes, but it’s difficult. Lena: But can you do it? Shindo: Perhaps. Lena: Is that a yes or a no? Shindo: It’s difficult.
S
Direct or indirect? Lena communicates in a direct way. She uses only a few wellchosen words to get her message across. She also expects others to say clearly what they mean. Germany has a culture in which words carry the message. For Shindo, a Japanese, what you don’t say is often more important than what you do say. Negative information is packaged to prevent the other person from feeling bad. In Japan, nonverbal signals carry a large part of the message. You can imagine the problems this can cause in business. If you come from a verbal culture, you will expect clear statements. Your partner from a non-verbal culture may want to keep things vague. You will want a written contract. Your partner might suggest a handshake. You will expect any complaints to be across: get one’s message ~ [əkrɒs] ambiguity [mbiju əti] bring sth. home [briŋ həυm] empathy [empəθi] inquisitive [inkwizətiv] interpreter [int pritə] open-plan [əυpən pln] personal space [p sənəl speis] regard [riɑ d] subdued [səbdju d] tentative [tentətiv]
sich verständlich machen Zweideutigkeit etw. klarmachen Einfühlungsvermögen neugierig, wissbegierig Dolmetscher(in) Großraumsoziale Distanz Respekt, Wertschätzung leise, zurückhaltend unverbindlich
Yes or no? This last difference was brought home to me when working in Vietnam. After one meeting, I mentioned to my interpreter how well I thought it had gone. She said, “Oh, no, Mr Ken. Mr Triep was angry about the new plans.” I was surprised. He hadn’t reacted strongly to my proposals, but had just pointed out a few minor difficulties in a quiet voice. I then realized that he hadn’t actually said “yes” to my suggestions. He had also been more subdued than usual. My interpreter said the minor objections were clear signals that Mr Triep did not like what I was saying. His quiet voice and subdued behaviour showed he was hiding anger; and the fact that he hadn’t said “yes” clearly meant “no”. To touch or not to touch? As an example of non-verbal differences, think about the personal space we need to feel comfortable when we communicate with each other. In many parts of Asia, managers sit in an open-plan office. In Germany, managers usually have their own offices with doors that can be closed. In some parts of Asia, people stand close to each other. In Germany, people stand further apart. In some Asian countries, colleagues of the same sex will walk hand in hand. In Germany, the only time you touch a colleague of the same sex is to shake hands. What to do? The Canadian International Development Agency’s training programme lists several key communication skills needed to bridge cultural differences: 1. understand that communication is tentative, not absolute; 2. communicate respect verbally and non-verbally: in other words, show positive regard, encouragement and interest; 3. show empathy: try to understand others from their point of view; 4. demonstrate the ability to open a true dialogue with others by taking turns in talking and by promoting equal interaction; 5. be able to tolerate misunderstandings, ambiguity and manage a degree of frustration; 6. be inquisitive. If you want to learn more about non-verbal signals, then read Gestures: The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World by Roger Axtell, Wiley, ISBN 978-0-471-18342-6, €12.99. G KEN TAYLOR is a partner at Axiom (www .axiomskills.com), a communications consultancy in London. He is the author of Fifty Ways to Improve Your Business English, Langenscheidt, ISBN 978-3-526-51188-5, €21.95. Listen to Ken Taylor on Spotlight Audio
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Thorsten Mansch
WORD POWER
LANGUAGE
je ne sais quoi [ ə nə sei kwɑ]
I don’t know what. This expression is used to talk about somebody who has “a certain something”: G Ann has a certain je ne sais quoi that is very attractive. maître d’ [meitrə di]
This is a short form of “maître d’hôtel”, the “master of the hotel”. It can also mean “head waiter”: G The maître d’ will show you to your table. matinee [mtinei]
Morning. A matinee is an afternoon performance of a play or musical: G There is a matinee performance of Mamma Mia on Friday at 5 p.m. and on Saturday at 3 p.m.
French words en masse
née [nei]
This month, ROBERT PARR looks at some French expressions often used in English.
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Many French words have been completely absorbed into the English language, and we use them without knowing their origin. Others, such as aperitif, au pair and chic, have clearly kept their Frenchness. Here are some more examples.
Born. Mainly used in writing, this refers to a woman’s name before she got married and changed it. In English, you say “maiden name” (the masculine form is né): G Anne Miller, née Smith. pied-à-terre [pieid ɑ teə]
Foot on the ground. A temporary or secondary place of residence (Wohnsitz ): G If you’re looking for a luxury pied-à-terre only 14 miles from central London, look no further than Hillingdon. risqué [riskei]
Risked. Something that is “risqué” might offend (Anstoß erregen bei ) some people, because it refers to sex: G I think the novel is a bit too risqué for my grandmother.
au fait [əυ fei]
RSVP [ɑr es vi pi]
In British English, “au fait” means “familiar”: G She’s not really au fait with our ideas.
Respond, please. This abbreviation (Abkürzung) stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît” and is written on invitations: G We would like to invite you to our party on Saturday, 15 November, at 8 p.m. RSVP.
crème de la crème [krem də lɑ krem]
The best of the best or, in English, “the cream of the crop”: G The crème de la crème of Britain’s young musicians are appearing in Edinburgh tonight. déjà vu [dei ɑ vu]
Already seen. In English, “déjà vu” is the feeling that you are having exactly the same experience as one you had before: G When I came in here, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu. encore [ɒŋkɔ]
Again. An audience shouts “encore” when it wants a performer to carry on with a performance. It can also be used as a noun: G What does swimmer Michael Phelps do for an encore after winning eight gold medals in Beijing? ˜ swit] en suite [ɒ
In sequence. In Britain, this word is usually used to describe a bedroom (in a hotel) with a bathroom joined to it: G All the rooms in our hotel are en suite. (US: The rooms are suites.) fait accompli [feit əkɒmpli]
Done deed. In English, a “fait accompli” is something that has been done and cannot be changed: G The change in policy was presented to us as a fait accompli.
soupçon [supsɒn]
Suspicion (Anflug, Hauch ). This word is used when talking about food. The English equivalent is “hint”: G There’s just a soupçon of garlic in the soup. You’ll find an exercise on French words on Spotlight Audio
Exercises 1. a) b) c)
Which French word or expression might you... ...hear at the end of a concert? ________________ ...read outside a theatre? ____________________ ...see at the top of a restaurant menu? __________
2. Replace the words in red with a French word or expression. a) Our room has an adjoining bathroom. ___________ b) How nice to have a second home in town. ________ c) It was a terrible mistake to kiss his Indian girlfriend in public. __________
faux pas [fəυ pɑ]
False step. A “faux pas” is something embarrassing that you say or do in a social situation: G David Beckham committed a major fashion faux pas, wearing an expensive suit but no socks. hors d’oeuvre [ɔ d v]
Outside of the work. An appetizer or other food served before a main meal. Unlike French, the plural in English can be “hors d’oeuvres”. G The more appealing an hors d’oeuvre looks, the better.
3. What’s the answer? a) If you are “au fait” with something, are you pleased or familiar with it? _________________________ b) If someone has a certain “je ne sais quoi”, do you admire or envy her? ______________________ c) If a film is described as “risqué”, will it show horror scenes or sex scenes? ______________________ Answers on page 70
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