
What impact do informal texting practices have on standard French language
Informal texting practices have a multifaceted impact on the standard French language. Research indicates that the use of texting slang or “textisms” generally does not adversely affect children’s literacy outcomes; in some cases, it even benefits spelling ability. However, the relationship between texting habits and the mastery of formal grammar is more nuanced. Studies show that frequent use of texting shortcuts and informal language can correlate with a higher tendency to deviate from standard grammar rules in formal assessments, although this does not necessarily diminish overall grammatical understanding.
Specifically, informal texting tends to encourage simplified spelling, abbreviated forms, and relaxed punctuation and grammar. This linguistic economy and playfulness prioritize rapid communication over strict adherence to normative forms, which can influence users’ writing styles outside of texting contexts. Despite this, many studies emphasize that these effects vary widely based on education level, age, and language exposure.
In summary, informal texting introduces non-standard forms that can seep into everyday writing practices, potentially causing divergences from prescriptive grammar norms. Yet, it does not uniformly degrade language skills; rather, the impact is complex and mediated by individual differences and context of language use. The standard French language retains its prestige and formal norms, but individual users may show flexibility and variability in applying these norms influenced by informal digital communication habits. 1, 2, 3
References
-
SMS Language and College Writing : The languages of the College Texters
-
SMS Texting and Its Potential Impacts on Students’ Written Communication Skills
-
The English language influence on journalistic discourse in French and Italian
-
Variation in Canadian French usage from the 18th to the 19th century
-
Language, culture and identity: an ethnolinguistic perspective
-
Hallo! Voulez vous luncher avec moi hüt? Le “code switching” dans la communication par SMS
-
Olá, Bonjour, Salve! XFORMAL: A Benchmark for Multilingual Formality Style Transfer
-
The hidden dimensions of a change from below: Consequence markers in Montreal French
-
Read. This. Slowly: mimicking spoken pauses in text messages
-
Read. This. Slowly: mimicking spoken pauses in text messages
-
CoCoA-MT: A Dataset and Benchmark for Contrastive Controlled MT with Application to Formality
-
Indeterminacy in L1 French grammars: the case of gender and number agreement
-
Un regard sur le français inclusif canadien dans une journée de Twitter
-
Prosody and grammar of other-repetitions in French: The interplay of position and composition
-
Linguistic ways of expressing emotions in French business discourse (based on business media texts)
-
Academic, social, and cultural learning in the French #bac2018 Twitter hashtag
-
Creating a Live, Public Short Message Service Corpus: The NUS SMS Corpus
-
Texting and Chatting Styles of Grade 11 Students : A Case in the Philippines
-
Replicating “Language Matters”: Taking Baselines into Account
-
Organizational Communication in France: An Overview of Current Research
-
Assessing Writing in French-as-a-Foreign-Language: Teacher Practices and Learner Uptake
-
Exploring the Use of Text and Instant Messaging in Higher Education Classrooms
-
Investigating digital language/media practices, awareness, and pedagogy: Introduction