WILL TEXT MESSAGES REPOPULARIZE WRITING?

Byline: Posted by Tim Haddock valleynews.com user

Text messaging is going to save literacy. Writing is in vogue again. Consequently, reading is as well.

Unfortunately, the art of writing has been reduced to abbreviated codes sent across electronic devices owned by children and teenagers.

Butchered and gutted versions of the English language are being used to tell stories of boyfriends and girlfriends, school, homework, parties, games, band practices and soccer tryouts.

It's possible that one day great works of literature will be written in text messaging.

Thank goodness, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens weren't alive to see text messaging. More importantly, thank goodness they were never alive to use text messaging. Katharine and Petruchio's arguments would have ended much quicker with the use of text messaging. Romeo and Juliet would have been able to keep their affair a secret for a little longer. Charles Darnay could have stolen someone else's identity and lived peacefully in England.

If the use of text messaging was popular hundreds of years ago, the lexicon of literature would have a much different look. Take this scene from ``The Taming of the Shrew'':

Katharine: ``Look, the sun.''

Petruchio: ``No, it's the moon.''

Katharine: ``Sun.''

Petruchio: ``Moon.''

Katharine: ``Whatever''

Hortensio: ``KC''

Petruchio: ``itys''

Katharine: ``nething2+''

Petruchio: ``eod''

The original version was way too wordy anyway:

Petruchio: ``Come on, i' God's name; once more toward our father's.

``Good Lord, how bright and goodly shines the moon!

Katharine: ``The moon! The sun: It is not moonlight now.''

Petruchio: ``I say it is the moon that shines so bright.''

Katharine: ``I know it is the sun that shines so bright.''

Petruchio: ``Now, by my mother's son, and that's myself,

``It shall be moon, or star, or what I list,

``Or ere I journey to your father's house.

``Go on, and fetch our horses back again.

``Evermore cross'd and cross'd; nothing but cross'd!''

Hortensio: ``Say as he says, or we shall never go.''

Katharine: ``Forward, I pray, since we have come so far,

``And be it moon, or sun, or what you please:

``An if you please to call it a rush-candle,

``Henceforth I vow it shall be so for me.''

Petruchio: ``I say it is the moon.''

Katharine: ``I know it is the moon.''

Petruchio: ``Nay, then you lie: It is the blessed sun.''

Who needs meter and verse when plus signs and numerals send the same message? Iambic pentameter is so 14th century.

Since Dickens was paid by the word, he might not have opted to use such fragmented versions of text. But he could have published several thousand more words with the use of a Blackberry. Maybe his stories would have been more literarily economical.

The opening of ``A Tale of Two Cities'' could have been shortened to a couple of lines.

``It was the bot, it was the wot, iwt aow, iwt aof, iwt eob, iwt eoi, iwt soL, iwt soD, iwt soh, iwt wod. Deal.''

One of the most famous lines from ``The Three Musketeers'' could have reduced to nine characters:

``A4-1&1-4A.''

``Romeo and Juliet'' would have been so much more romantic with text messages.

Juliet: ``Romeo, where R U?''

Romeo: ``Down here.''

Juliet: ``Where?''

Romeo: ``Under the balcony. U look nice 2night.''

Juliet: ``Shut Up!''

Romeo: ``No really. pcm''

Juliet: ``OK. Gotta go. CUl8er.''

Text messages are a godsend. Without them, there would be no need for kids to learn how to read and write.

It's not the way most of us learned to read and write, but it is reading and writing nonetheless.

Who's to say LOL and IMO won't become acceptable forms of communication? Ain't and axe finally made the cut. Net and .com are universally embraced.

afaik the future of literature is in the hands of children. btw, this has been fya. atb and CUl8er.