Standard English Language Essay

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Throughout the history of mankind, various inventions like cars and the internet have radically changed our way of thinking and carrying out tasks. Likewise, the invention of social media platforms in the twenty-first century such as Facebook and Twitter has also changed our way of communication through the extensive use of shorthand or textese in place of the Standard English language.
Textese or shorthand as defined by the Free English Dictionary is a simplified or abbreviated form of communication where symbols and acronyms that designate letters, words or phrases are used. Again, textese is described as language variants such as abbreviations and nonstandard forms of words (Crystal, 2008a; b; De Jonge & Kemp, 2010; Plester & Word, 2009).
Textese is identified when its …show more content…

However, Dansieh (2011) conducted a research to investigate the potential impact shorthand usage may have on the written and communication skills of polytechnic students in the country. The need for the research arose as a result of the concerns raised by the faculty and staff of the Wa polytechnic regarding the written communication skills of students. Conclusions drawn from the research proved that the shorthand texting had a negative impact on the performance of students with respect to their use of the Standard English Language. The principal interest on textese or shorthand over the years in relation to literature centers primarily on the impact it can have on the proficiency of written communication by its users (eg.Plester, et al., 2008; Plester, Wood & Joshi, 2009).

These researches fail to address the motive behind the adoption of this style of writing by students most especially those of the University of Ghana. Hence, this analysis seeks to fill the gap by aiding us understand why students namely, those in the University of Ghana extensively prefer the use of textese or shorthand in

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