[Fwd: text messaging]

[Beverly Flanigan]

I hear it all the time--just today, on NPR, in fact, from a biomedical
scientist talking about "this placebo phenomena."

At 05:43 PM 8/2/2007, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: [Fwd: text messaging]
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>This posting contains the first use of _phenomena_ as a singular that
>I've ever come across in either writing or speech.
>
>'Scuse me while I have another hit of fresh air.
>
>-Wilson
>
>On 8/2/07, Joan H. Hall <jdhall at wisc.edu> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joan H. Hall" <jdhall at WISC.EDU>
> > Subject:      [Fwd: text messaging]
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > If anyone would like to talk with Dave about this, please contact him
> > directly.
> > Thanks.
> >
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject:        text messaging
> > Date:   Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:00:28 -0400
> > From:   Dave Tobin <dtobin at Syracuse.com>
> > To:     jdhall at wisc.edu
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Joan -
> >
> > I'm a reporter at The Post Standard in Syracuse, Ny.
> >
> > I'm working on a story about text-messaging, and I'm struck by how the
> > shorthand or abbreviations used in cell phone texting, or in instant
> > messaging, are driving a language change.
> >
> > Have you noted this?  Could you speak to this phenomena, or recommend
> > someone who could?
> >
> > Sometimes the new texted words are phonetic versions of a dialect, which
> > also happen to be a few letters shorter - for instance probably becoming
> > "prolly".
> >
> > Some times they are acronyms of several words. BTW from 'by the way'.
> >
> > (A few years ago I spoke to you regarding a story on the local
> > regionalisms for soft drinks, soda vs pop. You were very helpful. Thank
> you.
> >
> > Dave Tobin
> > 315.470.3277
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>--
>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>-----
>                                               -Sam'l Clemens
>
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