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

Slash must be a 2013 thing that lasted for exclusively the duration of this TED talk

Dr. McWhorter is, in my opinion, the best linguistics teacher around. He is really interesting to listen to, and he can teach you a lot. Not only is there linguistic knowledge and expertise in what he says, but there is also wit and knowledge of what is going on in the world in general. I suggest that everyone purchase and read his many books, and also buy the 4 courses he offers as part of the Great Courses series of The Learning Company. You won’t be disappointed. This man has a lot to teach, and he does so with grace, charm and unbridled efficacy.

He's not saying it's not possible to text in proper English. What he's saying is that you should judge texting the way you judge speech, not writing. Young people aren't idiots. One doesn't text one's boss with the same casualness one would text a peer or a friend, just as you wouldn't SPEAK to your boss the same way you would speak to a peer or a friend. If you do know someone who is doing that then yes, they need to be corrected, but I would bet the majority have more common sense.

Amazing his take on LOL as an emphatic marker !

I've never used "slash", nor have I heard or seen anyone else use it.

wut r u tlkng abt m8

I also didn't know about "slash". For me, "Slash" is still the guitarist from 'Guns 'n' Roses'.

I love how TED talks take huge topics from their respective fields and make them accessible to everyone, like you don't have to be a Linguists to learn from this and I love that.

he got the “lol” thing so right lol

Linguistics I always thought was about language. To me that also meant communication. Your talk here was about methods of communication and how that impacts our “words”. This talk was about communication moving forward. I am younger than most of (maybe all) of the elected members of our Federal government. I have a decent education. My grandparents were farmers and cowboys. My Nana always said He don’t and she don’t. But she also only had a 6th grade education. She read a learned but that old “he don’t” never left her. My nana also used older terms for many things. Colloquial terms for different times and regions? There is skillet vs. frying pan. To my Nana it was a skillet. Or- spider if it had legs to go over a camp fire. I know my family moved west. Through Ohio, Dakota, Minnesota, Montana. Then in 1930s west ending up in San Bruno near San Francisco. The stories my nana shared were amazing. My family were Scots. Some were sent here as defeated warriors after Culloden (one of the few not killed) and others as indentured servants. Language and stories were important to us.

I think this is a brilliant view of how communication and language evolves over time. Looking at texting as "fingered speech" and developing multi-lingual skills is a great observation. As a communication instructor, if I can get over the fact that you're not necessarily thinking about punctuation and capitalization while texting, then so can everyone else.

Never heard of "slash" written out.

I listened to him in a language series on Audible... He looks so different than I thought he did. Still a brilliant man... my fav

Very interesting. However, I've never heard of or even used "slash".

I've never heard of slash, that's a situation when you would normally just send the second part as a different text...

im a teen (16) and this is super true i use texting slang such as lol all the time and most of the time i don't even realize it or the implications behind it. also there's differences between subtle slang such as "haha" and "ahaha" and the like, or "lolll" and other things that's just come to be so natural for my age demographic that we don't realize it! so interesting, thanks for sharing

I've never heard of slash... I just transition without that. I use "anyways" instead.

I agree with everything here. But I gotta point out: Christopher Hitchens casually spoke in beautiful, eloquent prose paragraphs

My favorite part of this speech is the point that 'kids these days' sentiments & pessimism is not unique to any particular group or era and can give way to progress and innovation.

He's quite right about the fact that our writing evolves inasmuch as our speaking, and that texting is essentially fingered speaking.

"lol" means "I'm done talking with you now"

Lost me when John said, "We don't think about capitalization when talk, so why should we when we text..." Because when we text we are TYPING and with the written word, it had been common to be cognizant of capitalization, spelling and context. I still like John though, so much so that I will make sure that I will continue to write his name using capitalization.

I think about capital letters and punctuation in texting...but I'm the only person I know who texts in "written English".

I really don't understand, if texting is limiting/ruining your writing skills you have the capacity to study and expand your grammar, vocabulary etc. if you don't have the capacity you can get help. if texting is limiting your communication, or face to face, skills then you have to put the phone down and start to slowly get the confidence to talk to people. You can do this by watching videos or getting ideas/opinions from friends/teachers. You have the ability and resources to perfect your communications skills, why make up excuses? Of course this may not apply to people with anxiety, or other problems, since it may be harder for them. Also, of course it is easier said than done. Please correct me if I'm wrong and any other thoughts are welcomed. ^^

I heard a few months ago that people are actually saying "lol" in conversation. If this is true, then texting really has affected language. Having said that, languages have and always will evolve over time. If you could go forward a couple of hundred years in, say, New York, the language you'd hear would probably be recognisable as English but would sound different due to the influence of a global network of which we are all now part of.

There are always barriers. The point is that some change sticks. I recommend you read Dr John McWhorter's books. They're the only linguistic books I can recommend to non-linguists, as he is very entertaining and precise. His best works are "The Power of Babel", "Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue" (my favorite), "Word on the Street", and "What Language is (And What it Isn't And What it could be)".

He has phenomenal diction!

this is one of the best ted talks i've seen!!

Iv learned from this presentation: LOL: Is a pragmatic particle. SLASH: is a texting marker to change a topic.

our teacher said to watch this, so my module brought me here

This was a brilliant speech, it gave me a completely new perspective on a subject which I had been too critical about for some time.

My sister and I don't really change subjects when texting. We add subjects. We will talk about multiple things at once. Eventually, a subject will drop off but by then others are added to the conversation.

I honestly LOVE texting. It gives me more time than a real conversation to organize my thoughts. I'm also generally lazy in my correspondence, so I like being able to wait a while before responding.

That problem may occur only if everybody is reducing themselves to text. People write to construct or organize their thoughts about very complicated matters and many people use short forms in writing to get it all down, but that doesn't mean it's reducing their ability to have complex thoughts.

This is so interesting! I love how I've heard so many talks that show things from a different perspective. They take something we consider bad and show us how it's just a different form of something good. I love how some things we consider to be evidence of society degrading can actually be seen as society evolving as it usually does.

Thanks for the input.

one of the few times that i DON'T regret spending my time on watching the videeo.

We live in the technological era. The development of technology grows at an exponential rate, and we are currently in the wave of constant technological advances that are hugely changing what it means to be a human. We evolved to survive as hunter and gatherers, but now the main thing you have to worry about is how much green paper you can collect by spending most of your existence in some place you don't want to be. This guy was too late to the party, but for the younger people who grew up on the internet, we are different then those who grew up having to looks things up in an encyclopedia...man I could keep going to reach my point but I'm high as a kite on marryhwonna. Give me a thumbs up if you made it this far. Have an excellent day, my friend!

very intelligent man

I always use the King’s English, even while texting. I love this guy.

Interesting. My and my friends usually use "btw" in this context. Like: "And then I told him that I don't want to see that film. Btw, I bought a new t-shirt today".

I love McWhorter's lectures

This gave perspective. Often we do judge those by how well you "text" to one another. The use of a word vs the amount of commas he used. Also, I don't use lol as much of a marker but more the mood I am in. For example, if I know my text could possibly be taken negatively, I put lol. I never used slash, tho

this guys is such a good speaker - great voice

In a time of tRump he is like ICU to the ear and intellect!

I could listen to this man talk/teach all day.

This encouraged me to keep up with my Spanish.

In the spirit of Norma Loquendi (“Consuetudo, jus et norma loquendi…” : The right method of speaking and pronouncing is established by custom... ), one almost has to accept that language usage levels and forms will multiply and ramify with the emergence of new platforms. Those of us who have lived through six or seven decades would be well advised to maintain the closest possible ties with our grandchildren - they may laugh at us, but they can also assist us in our effort to remain au courant.

I've always felt this way about internet chat / instant messaging, feels exactly like speaking; seems like a no-brainer, really. I suppose its not quite as obvious with texting, which feels like a heavily constrained version of the former

I'm definitely digging the new intro :)

The Pen has died. Long live the PEN. For the frst time i respected the txt msg.. a must listen talk for language teachers in school..

Very informative. Slash, I need Slash in my texting.

I wonder if the slash arises from folks using voice to text. they might type a / symbol to change subjects but if they're dictating and say "slash" the v2t might just insert the word there rather than the symbol. then it becomes a thing

Great STUFF! man that was good! I love me some TED talks!

One of the best TED Talks for a long while

Wow, good ear! I never would've thought that but after you say it, I can definitely hear it too!

Slash? Idk about that one.

I love the various topics that John pays attention to.

Such a good video! And a really good speaker! :D

day one lecture he's given 100 times. collects check from Ted

is anyone watching this in 2020?

if you like it, pursue it. you never know where you'll end up. i started studying linguistics in new york three years ago, and now i'm in korea. i want to write a book about how english has affected korean, and why it matters. definitely read some books. John McWhorter is one of the few linguists who can keep your attention throughout the book. Whorf is an interesting read, but many of his ideas have been tossed.

It's interesting watching this and realizing how texting has changed in the 7 years since it was posted. Saying 'lol' now almost makes you behind the times, like a parent trying to be cool texting with their kid.

I’m 75 now and yes I do regularly text on my phone and tablet but I don’t fall into the trap of abbreviations or emoji’s. Not long ago I ran into my English teacher at a party. She was a real life English Major and to her texting is the beginning of the end of civilization. I told her about a texting exchange I had with one of my nieces where she texted the word Proly instead of Probably. I could see the shudder pass down through her body and her head began to shake.

This man just spoke my mind. Language changes, folks! Don't fight it, embrace it.

great speaker, great talk

I see. So "slash" is the new btw.

Texting first caught on here in Europe, not the US. Americans were still "paging" each other while we were tapping away on our cellphones 15 years ago.

Insightful talk.

Why this amazing speaker reminds me by the way Frank Underwood speaks in the house of cards?

Brilliant speaker! I enjoyed the talk very much.

Illuminati confirmed......... This was in my recomended and m..... My last name is McWhorter😶

Internet chatrooms have also evolved their own sort of parlance and casual dialogue in written form. When I'm online with people over chat platforms like Discord, we have a mixture of conversational English and chat slang. Some of the people I chat with use more slang then others, and among my group of college aged artist/writer peers online we have a variety of slang that tends to show up more in online chatrooms than in mobile texting conversations like "babbin" or "swol" or "fingerguns" or "chinhands" or even just a good old fashioned "keyboard smash," like so... "amuhvfgdcfrcxzesr."

I don't know about you all but It's killing my oral communication skills too :(

Great talk!

"We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning."

Guess I could see that. Although I still (when I actually do send messages) still fully type out every word. Now if I'm LOW on battery, and it was ABSOLUTELY needed I MAY use short hand.

This is too long. I'm texting during it. Get to the point. We text because we are forced to. Every one takes too long to talk about things that don't matter and aren't funny enough to hold our attention. What is this slash business.

10/10 for delivery and content.

I write and text properly out of respect for my reader, and I expect the same respect. *Things* such as LOL, IDK, IKR, OMG, BTW, BRB, TTYL, LMAO, TF, WTF, et cetera indicate laziness or tiredness of thought. They offer very little insight or intellectual value. If you're so rushed or pressed for the time and energy it would take to say something meaningful, perhaps you should get some rest or focus on your pressing task at hand.

The talk literally touched on this topic - This exact same has been said over and over again since as early as 63 A.D for christ sakes.

Love this! Fantastic thanks!!

Great talk. Love it

Excuse me, lol is a referee indicating a touchdown. 🏈LOL

Those here who question his reference to the use of slash..it's from MSN Messenger in the 90s. Ppl wont c it used at all unless theres a 90s kid out there still "accidentlly" using it in their txt-language today 🤗

Amazing video!!! Love it so much!!

Nice talk indeed!

I'm 21 and the slash is new to me(at least in the texting sense). I just double text, hit enter a couple times or if I really dgaf just start after the punctuation mark

Read one of his books. Great man!

*affects

This man rapidly becoming the one true voice in America. Remember, please, that this man is thoughtful,. kind, and cares about people!

Thank you a+

Interesting talk. The problem I see with the txt to revolution - is that so much of it is a temporary fashion statement, and how it rapidly evolves on a whim, or to reflect what's popular now. So if I don't have occasion to be firmly plugged in to young people, or pop culture - I can't commnicate properly or decipher properly. This difficulty also be faced by people learning the language as well. It just seems to be creating even more barriers to being properly understood.

So right. I LOVE text, twitter FB and RU-vid speak and find it fascinating. I have always thought people who say texting is killing language need to put their critical thinking caps on.

Really makes you think.

I generally do as I speak and say "Anyway" and continue from there.

amazing topic

If you are thinking of closing this video jump to 8:34 and wait a little.. was not too stoked about this talk about but in the end. It was awesome. Slash ordering a makey makey inspired from that other talk.

He is a really good speaker

wow...great talk!