Discuss the Article : Internet Slang And Texting Language
<a href='/article/154/lol-lmfao-wtf-figuring-out-english-internet-slang-and-texting-language' target='_blank'>Internet Slang And Texting Language</a>
LOL, LMAO, WTF! What do they mean? Internet slang rules today's conversational landscape. Keep up with the trend...
Call me old-fashion or the devil's advocate but...
I believe that many features of modern electronic communication (such as the significant reduction in mobile phone costs, the almost universal use of full-sized QWERTY keyboards and possibly others) now render profuse use of these acronyms unnecessary.
I do confess that back in the day, I was rather partial to the occasional "<em>lol</em>" or "<em>g2g</em>" and this was mainly due to my attempts to be thrifty (remember when a single SMS was limited to 160 characters?) and more efficient (you can probably now view them candy-bar mobile phones with the dial pad at the museum, or at the Grandma's house)<em>.</em>
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Now, even though we're sort of past all that, the messaging habits associated with the conditions of the past have lingered on and I can't quite understand why...I for one now find myself typing/texting in full sentences only because I really see no need to do so otherwise. Having said that, I add the occasional smiley because as the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words..and expresses what cannot be said in words.
Obviously this is just my opinion as an old grumpy middle-aged man but I'd love to hear other people's opinion on the relationship between "text speak" and its effect on the level of standard English (for want of a better term). Is it Enriching? Degrading? To be encouraged?
Do you think that over reliance or usage on these abbreviations has lead to, or will lead to a diminished ability to express oneself in words (ie. students writing essays, general report writing in the work-place).
I actually don't see g2g anywhere anymore, maybe from parents who think it's still in use ;) I think some more useful abbreviations would be idk, tbh, bc, and even ppl (I don't know, to be honest, because, and people). I personally use ppl and idk a lot, as its faster for typing. I also feel like typing out "I don't know" almost makes it more formal, depending on the sentence. I guess you could say idk is the short version of "I dunno" which is slang in itself anyway :p
I like texting lingo and it's effect on writing because one of the biggest arguments my parents and many adults have is that you can't convey your tone of voice in a message ("why don't you pick up the phone and call someone for once?!"). As it was stated in the article, abbreviations add emphasis. People can tell a lot easier if you're being sarcastic or joking with lol or haha than without, and that's something that was never possible before sms messaging. So I think it's a good thing. Even now, websites like tumblr are taking the abbreviations and such even further and developing a type of language and humor specific to that website.
I also think this aticle was a great idea because many English learners might have a hard time communicating online if they only know textbook English and none of the shorthand that we've come to use so often.
We use 5555555 to express crying when chatting online in Chinese. :)
so useful esp for me cause i'm always chatting with my friends.
Tnx Travis
David Crystal, a funny British linguist's take on texting.