Abstract
Abstract There is a principle of language that impels users to prefer linguistic choices that are more effective for them in any communication context. These choices vividly render some aspects of the world described or express more clearly their own hierarchy of relevance. Based on this semiotic principle, this paper examines the nature of text messaging among Nigerian youths and investigates how non-arbitrariness reveals itself in the structuring and patterning of the text messages used by Nigerian youths. It observes the creative ways in which language is manipulated to serve the purpose of brevity, which is the hallmark of text messages, and yet communicates effectively. It observes that these linguistic patterns identify the youths stylistically creating new prescriptive rules for written language. The communicative behavior presented through these linguistic choices is basically iconic.
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