An SFU rsrchr wants 2 know how u txt 2 get yr msg across.
If you can read that, you may want to take part in a study looking at the language of text messaging. Text4Science is a collaboration between researchers at Burnaby's SFU, the Universit of Montral and the University of Ottawa, and they want people to donate their text messages to science.
"We hope to see how text messages change with languages and dialects," said Christian Guilbault, an associate professor with SFU's French department.
Guilbault said the project's first phase found differences in texting depending on the type of French spoken, and now researchers want to see if the same thing is happening with English speakers.
"There are some differences between the French used in France and in Quebec, so we expect to see significant differences between different dialects in English," he said.
According to Guilbault, people who use abbreviations and shortcuts while texting are not lazy illiterates; they're creative and imaginative, BTW.
To get involved, forward your text message 202202 via cellphone (your regular charges apply). There's also an online survey to complete at www.text4science.
