CN U TXT? (Texting, language and mobile phones)

You are going to

• watch a short video about the history of the mobile phone
• do a comprehension quiz
• look at texting in English
• look at an infographic on the history of the mobile phone
• discuss and write about language and the possible effects of technology on language

1) Discuss
What do you know about the history of the mobile phone?

• When was the first mobile phone?
• What did it look like?

2) Watch the clip
A) What do you find out about the history of the mobile phone?

B) Do the quiz
Answer the questions.
Watch the film again if you need to.

3) Practise
Can you text in English?
What text abbreviations do you know?
Can you match the ones below with their correct spelling?

4) Translate
Look at the 10 sentences below. They are from the video. What do they mean?
Can you translate them into "correct" English?

5) Discuss

• Do people use abbreviations to send texts in your language?
• Why do you think people do it??
• Do you agree it is "degrading spelling" (having a bad effect on people's ability to spell correctly)?
• Do you think it is important to spell correctly?
• In your language who decides what is "correct" spelling or grammar?
• Do you think that text abbreviations will become normal spelling one day?
• Do you think it is good for a language to change or should it always stay the same?
• How does language change and why?
• Are there words which have become fashionable / unfashionable in your language?
• What exactly is language?
• Who or what makes a language what it is?
• Who decides how we communicate?
• How do we decide what is language and what is not?
• In the end who has the final say in what is right or wrong when we communicate?

6) Write
"Technology is having a negative effect on young people's written language skills".
To what extent do you agree with this statement?







7) Read
Look at the infographic below

• How many mobile phones are there in the world?
• Which country has the highest number of phone subscribers?
• Who holds the record for the fastest typing on a phone?
• What did she type?
• How fast can you type it?

Printable worksheets are here


More
How to text in English




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