text language evil? ROFLMAO at the suggestion

I read a post by yet another “adult” decrying the use of text language a few days ago, the article in a major Sydney newspaper was titled “How emoticons wipe that smile off your face “ was written light heartedly as a jab at “textual atrocities” while defending the use of the exclamation mark, considered by some also to be a “textual atrocity”.

While I agree that the appropriate use of text language (think emoticons like and acronyms like LOL) is limited to more informal situations, I don’t believe it is always inappropriate as the article attempts to imply.  While I agree that text language has a time and a place which does not stretch to formal business communications, university assessments and some other situations (I believe that exclamation marks don’t fit into these categories either), text language is just a sign of our changing communication patterns.  For those who have grown up using mobile phones and instant messaging programs, text language makes sense because it allows for shortened expression in line with character and screen size limits. Emoticons are also useful as not all of us have a superior mastery of the English language, nor the time, space or inclination to express ourselves purely verbally.  Emoticons are a simply and easily understood way of expressing emotion, and text language a quick abbreviation akin to modern shorthand.  I consider both to be particularly useful in informal communications with friends to give a quick indication of expression or of the body language or tone of voice that would have accompanied the words had they been spoken face to face.

I would even dare to say text language is just another step in the slow and continual evolution of the English language.  If the author of this article is railing against changes in the English language, perhaps she needs to look at her own language, particularly those exclamation marks she defends so vehemently and consider how they would have been received a few generations ago, or how the whole article would have read in Shakespearean times. Doesn’t it make sense that if the way we communicate is changing, that our language, which is ultimately a vehicle of expression changes too? Rather than considering text language as a means for the lazy and illiterate, perhaps we need to examine its context and remember that just as with all language, there’s a time and place for everything, including text language.