Back in 2011, one of my students did a final year research project comparing the instant messaging language of her age group (21-23) and her younger brothers' age group (15-16). One of the key differences she found was that many of the younger group were putting kisses (x) in places other than the end of a conversation. Many were appearing at the end of every turn in a conversation and some even within turns. The older group, on the other hand, were only putting kisses at the end of a conversation when they signed off.
This led me to look in more detail at the way people (especially in the UK) use the "orthographic kiss". In 2014 another student did a survey asking people a range of questions about how, when and why they use the x, in their texts, emails and instant messaging. Last year (2021) I repeated that survey to see how people's views on their (and others') use had changed.
In this blog, I will post the various findings of these three studies, looking at the change over time, the reasons people say they use them, how usage varies between ages, genders and nationalities and the alternatives people use if they don't use the x.
History of x as a kiss
The use of orthographic kisses, x, in the UK has been the focus of press and social media attention
for some years. Forums such as MumsNet
and the student newspaper The Tab featured articles discussing the correct way to use and interpret x. Although the x is
used in other countries, and the New York Times recently published an article
about it[1],
the use of x seems to be a phenomenon
that is particularly important in the UK.
The use of the x
to indicate a kiss has a long history in personal letter writing. The Oxford
English Dictionary lists examples going back to 1763, and Winston Churchill
used the x in a letter dated 1894
thus: “Please excuse bad writing as I am in an awful hurry. (Many kisses.) xxx
WSC”. It is traditional in the UK to sign greetings cards with a number of kisses,
usually after your name. The origin of this use of x to indicate a kiss is unclear. There are several
theories, some relating to the fact that the sound indicated by the letter x in English, /ks/, sounds similar to the
word kiss and to the sound of the
equivalent Greek letter, <χ>. Others relate to the fact that
illiterate people used to sign with an X
in place of their name. Whatever the historical origin, the use of x to indicate a kiss has become
increasingly common in various forms of CMC, especially in the UK.
The views we have gathered show a huge range of views from "I never use them" to "I use them all the time, to everyone (including strangers)"! This blog will reveal those views - and you can add your own views.
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