| Summary: | This paper presents a unique study on the potential impact that the use of texting has on the writing skills of Cypriot undergraduate students. The examination of their writing was based on a writing scenario in an asynchronous Computermediated communication (CMC) system, aiming to find out the writing habits of young adults in formal massages, via email. Perceptions of undergraduate students regarding their formal and informal writing are also illustrated in this paper in order to identify the use of Greeklish and Standard Greek in their texting. Greeklish is the Greek language written using Latin alphabet and is commonly
used among Cypriot and Greek young people in CMC.
The analysis of nine written tasks and interviews constituted the main sample of this study. Fifty-five questionnaire responses were used to supplement the sample
of this study and to enrich the research results. Participants were asked to respond to a given written task, providing researcher with a sample of their writing when conversing with their tutor via email. Additional questions were asked in order to compliment the written task findings and to interpret the writing habits of young adults in both formal and informal communication.
The hypothesis was that features of “text speak” may be used in formal communication of undergraduate students in particular, and in their formal writing in general. However, the results revealed that Cypriot young adults have a sense of formal speech and they can adapt their writing in different communicational situations in CMC. In their messages was not found a significant number of spelling or phonological mistakes. The use of Greeklish language, through the years was referred to the spelling errors that were found in the message text, showing little or no link between the two factors. Writing issues were mainly found in the punctuation, capitalization and accentuation of Greek language. A good suggestion is to foster young students with the necessary literacy skills in
order to become well educated and minded citizens who will use their language appropriately within the rabbit development of technology.
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