Txtng is killing language. JK!!! - John McWhorter

[@jb_baby_707]

This was actually quite funny. Also, I agree with the comments, no one has ever said slash lmao

[@davidwhitman772]

What's being missed (even my McWhorter himself perhaps) is that for the entire 13 minutes, McWhorter "speaks how he writes." His verbal style is much closer to the Edward Gibbon example he uses than it is to the texts that he shows. Why? Because creating an utterance worth pondering, considering etc. seems to require a certain level of formality and sophistication. Sure, texting is new technology and is evolving a linguistic style...but so what? It is a linguistic style suited to trivialities. (Try imagining MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, or the Gettysburg address, as a text or tweet.) Too often, having to follow the rules and conventions around writing (and speech that sounds as if it were written) is wrongly disparaged as an imposition handed down by the powers that be....when in fact, being articulate in speech and written language is empowering. Being told that acquiring writing and verbal skills equivalent to a tweet is "plenty good enough for you" is a disservice. In fact, the "teachers from long ago" who, in McWhorters presentation, are forever handwringing that "kids these days don't write well" are actually grieving about something else: That the majority of their students squander their potential, and are content to attain a verbal and written competency that makes them ripe to be little more than dupes and pawns. The kind of people who, for instance, read a tweet that says "Will be wild" and then unreflectively storm a nation's capitol.

[@Hemzees]

I have watched this at least a hundred times, and I keep coming back to it for some reason.

[@cloudkitt]

I personally don't use much in the way of text speak, but I appreciate the outlook that isn't constantly "the sky is falling" as is CONSTANTLY happening as he shows around 10 minutes.

[@erraticonteuse]

It's like reading old telegrams. It wasn't quite "instant", so it was more a hybrid of writing and speaking, but since you paid for each letter, in many ways it was like Twitter and texting on steroids.

[@siksparnis]

first time i hear of the 'slash' thing.. when i want to change the subject i just start the sentence with a 'btw...'

[@sudd3660]

i would like to add that dictionaries and written language is obsolete with silent letters and no practical use as spoke language.

[@clarenceho625]

what he means by "writing" is books, the main difference between books and texting is: teksting is a dialog books are monologues

[@PratikL20]

forget showing our texts to people from previous century, i am 23 years old and i couldnt understand texts of my 7 year younger sister and her friends, there is annihilation of orthography, orthology and solecisms are all over the place.

[@timgoes]

'lol' is used in a few ways. How much did he study this? People do punctuate when they speak. You can hear him start a new sentence. He did not talk about the addiction to texting. Or why people would rather text than deal with the ones in front of them. Most kids watching would text before he finished talking.

[@NoriMori1992]

Nice judgemental and baseless comment.

[@deannarobles2700]

Just because you don't like the way people speak and write doesn't mean that they're wrong. So why even critizise there writing or there speech?

[@rohengiralt]

*their c’mon learn to write Lol jk 😂

[@capt_toad7890]

"There is, in texting, a convention which is... "L. O. L." " 6:23

[@guardianofsouls86]

a new language, simple evolution... yeah I think I get it, I still don't really like it when I find it in a notebook or when chatting on facebook, but now I get it.

[@Nulono]

Am I the only one who texts with capital letters, proper grammar, and punctuation?

[@RLisaMona]

literally nobody uses slash

[@insidersenglish8274]

Since he gave an authentic use of it, someone ovbiously does. So literally is the wrong word there.

[@MihoubiAssala]

Interesting talk !

[@giftcodez]

What is sametiming? I looked it up on Google, but the term is apparently so recent that I couldn't find anything about it. Also, sorry for being so out of touch. I'm gettin' old... :)

[@hayleygreen4]

Nobody uses 'slash' like that...

[@meriemabir2577]

I need the name of the book where u have mentioned this explanation, please

[@dylandoyle493]

Damnit Susan, get your shit together.

[@clarenceho625]

language classes are kinda weird: they prepare you for speaking/writing in bygone terms.

[@clarenceho625]

i knew it, i had seen this before... y u upload talks from tedtalksdirector

[@GrumpyOrang]

French woman at 11:24 was not amused.

[@nacasius]

Another fine video filed under the "don't be a judgmental prick header". Then again "Don't Judge" is a really old saying anyway.

[@jasonminers]

Brilliant!

[@MeoLaKid]

Very entertaining speech :)

[@woodfur00]

The way he says "lol" makes me cringe.

[@mktzvxp]

French woman at 11:23 not amused

[@andresrivera7751]

no entiendo nada

[@hypnozecat]

lmao i cried XD

[@clarenceho625]

so seem hip/cool/go with the trends

[@ya64]

YOLOSWAGJESUS4LIFE

[@Abinoka]

speak for yourself. i speak like that all the time

[@handsomegorilluh]

LAWL

[@TM-iw5om]

nope even uses slash but love this video yolo swag yolo

[@Iamlegend91]

A female perhaps.

[@kingjstin]

Why does this guy have these random text segments? lol, stalker.

[@DamnCyberSquatters]

lol!

[@SeabasR]

LOL #summerfun JK #nofilter YOLO BRB ROtfl YOLO YOLO LOL #YOLO

[@Vsmovies100]

me 2

[@TheDrunkenReturn]

LAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL jajajajajajajjaja

[@thamtruong4802]

Babanahahaha

[@ebizmaster]

then why are millenials and generation y so weak at formal writing lol?

[@NoriMori1992]

Did you even watch the video? People being bad at formal writing is not a new thing. Not to mention, what's your source for them being bad at it in the first place?