Textese and writing skills: aid or interference for high school learners of English

There seems to be no end to the debate about whether textese positively or negatively affects writing skills of high school learners of English. For instance, Carrington (2005:171) observes that “text messaging „infects‟ Standard English…leading to lower scores on written examinations”. Plester, Wood and Joshi (2009) similarly found evidence that text literacy is positively associated with Standard English literacy. However, Crystal (2008:157) does not just disagree, he sees no correlation. “I do not see how texting could be a significant factor when discussing …problems with literacy. If you have difficulty with reading and writing, you are hardly going to be predisposed to use a technology that demands sophisticated abilities in reading and writing. And if you do start to text, I would expect the additional experience of writing to be a help, rather than a hindrance.” A study conducted in South Africa by Geertsema, Hyman, and Van (2011) concluded that there is indeed negative correlation between texting and writing ability in English. This too is contested in Kemp & Bushnell (2011) who found that students can limit their textese use to appropriate contexts. In response to such contradictory opinion, this study randomly sampled 500 pages of essays as well as classroom notes written by high school students of Mosocho Division, Kisii County, in Kenya. From the sample, 448 instances of textese were extracted and analyzed. It was found, among other things, that textese undermines ability of second language learners to write in English. Interference from textese was especially apparent in spelling, punctuation and capitalization.