Text message speak...

Terry · 30-08-2007 12:17PM

Really? Care to explain that one to me?

When you are used to typing properly, you tend to spell words properly and using text speak would require further thought.

Creamy Goodness · 30-08-2007 12:53PM

B-K-DzR wrote:

Really? Care to explain that one to me?

try typing something your don't understand or can't read then come back to us.

Dudess · 30-08-2007 12:58PM

DaveMcG wrote:

I think mine offers 160 characters

Oh right. Mine actually facilitates 913 characters - it's just that they're in "blocks" of 160, 145 and, for some reason, 152. And my phone is a very basic, run-of-the-mill model.

Rob_I wrote:

the only thing more annoying than a problem is people who continuously moan about said problem

And people complaining about people complaining about a genuine grievance of theirs is pretty irritating too.
Also, I'm a regular Boards user - I don't think I've ever seen a thread damning text-speak. I've seen posts that do so, but not entire threads.

5starpool · 30-08-2007 01:38PM

Text speak users should be tarred and feathered like that drug dealer in the North a few days back. Harsh, but fair I think you will find.

BKtje · 30-08-2007 02:05PM

Terry wrote:

When you are used to typing properly, you tend to spell words properly and using text speak would require further thought.

If you can do both then text speak would be quicker to type out even when using a full keyboard (reading of course wouldnt be but that isn't the point that was being made).

The point i thought the original person poster was making was that if you can do both and you have a keyboard, that it is actually harder to type in text speak than in normal speak. That's what i wanted explained or clarified.

Cremo wrote:

try typing something your don't understand or can't read then come back to us.

See above.

Dudess · 30-08-2007 02:24PM

5starpool wrote:

Text speak users should be tarred and feathered like that drug dealer in the North a few days back. Harsh, but fair I think you will find.

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

B-K-DzR wrote:

If you can do both then text speak would be quicker to type out even when using a full keyboard (reading of course wouldnt be but that isn't the point that was being made).

The point i thought the original person poster was making was that if you can do both and you have a keyboard, that it is actually harder to type in text speak than in normal speak. That's what i wanted explained or clarified.

Typing text-speak isn't going to have the same flow as typing normally. And you'll probably have to look around the keyboard more - e.g. for numbers. Yeah, I definitely agree that typing text-speak would require more thought. Surely a person would automatically type "tonight" but would have to think somewhat about "2nite"?

Orlee · 30-08-2007 03:54PM

This is an email I received from my 14 year old sister who was on holidays in America.

Hay!!

erm you'll never no!! lol
haha ye the O.c i WISH!!
i do hav some pics!!
I GOT AN IPOD!! WOOHOO!!
its de same 1u hav Every1 bought it 4 moi b-day!!
mmmmm lunch!! ye we have to!

XXxXXxxXXxxXXxxXX

LUFF YHoO!!

Absolute gibberish and way to many excalmation marks

my reply was
"Write to me in English or Im not reading or replying to your mails!"

She was not impressed

Dudess · 30-08-2007 04:02PM

Ouch! That truly hurts my eyes. I pity English teachers, I really do. Or any teachers. Notice the way she does go to the trouble of putting certain letters in caps and, as you said, including exclamation marks. So she obviously is aware of punctuation.

The Bollox · 30-08-2007 04:12PM

Orlee wrote:

This is an email I received from my 14 year old sister who was on holidays in America.

Absolute gibberish and way to many excalmation marks

my reply was
"Write to me in English or Im not reading or replying to your mails!"

She was not impressed

Shiva H. Vishnu! what the hell is 1u. I thought the point of txt spk was to reduce the character count, why would you put in moi instead of me?

Orlee · 30-08-2007 04:12PM

all her friends are like this - Her MSN and Bebo are practically in another language!

Dudess · 30-08-2007 04:18PM

Someone said earlier that they asked a 13-year-old why they insist on using the wretched thing - his reply was that it's "cool".

God, it's quite pitiful when not communicating properly has become "uncool".

BKtje · 30-08-2007 04:27PM

I can read that the same speed as english. Can you spot the guy who's been reading text speak/ short hand internet english for over 7 years

It does look very ugly though doesn't it?

EDIT: At least 1337 speak hasn't caught on in the real world

EDIT2:

what the hell is 1u.

one you

Terry · 30-08-2007 07:40PM

Dudess wrote:

Someone said earlier that they asked a 13-year-old why they insist on using the wretched thing - his reply was that it's "cool".

God, it's quite pitiful when not communicating properly has become "uncool".

That was me.
I bollocked him out over it. Something along the lines of 'you'll never leanr to spell properly. This won't be acceptable in exams' and so forth. I probably mad things worse.

Typo left in for comedic effect.

Dudess · 30-08-2007 07:50PM

B-K-DzR wrote:

one you

And what the f*ck does "one you" mean?!

Sinfonia · 30-08-2007 08:00PM

Dudess wrote:

And what the f*ck does "one you" mean?!

Nothing, out of context. She said "the one you got" or something.

Anyways, that teenage bebo speak these days (with all THiS kinDa StUfF!!!! lol xxXXxx), is just the same as 1337 5p34k or when Snoop Dogg says "shizzle", it really doesn't matter.
We should probably be getting angry about more important things. Like foreign policy or sumtin i duno lol x

Mossy Monk · 30-08-2007 08:27PM

I hate it. Have trouble understanding most of it. How hard is it to use predictive text which by all accounts is quicker.

The Bollox · 30-08-2007 08:27PM

SumGuy wrote:

Anyways, that teenage bebo speak these days (with all THiS kinDa StUfF!!!! lol xxXXxx)

that shíte really grinds my gears! I mean píss off with your caps addiction, I don't want to know!

Max_Damage · 30-08-2007 08:45PM

I often wonder what the English language will be like in 50 years time, or even 20 years. Text speak is like Newspeak (from Nineteen Eighty-Four) in a different form.

*Doubleplusungood*

GhostInTheRuins · 30-08-2007 09:02PM

If I was to try to use textspeak, it would take me longer to text/type because I'd be constantly thinking "How the hell can I make this word shorter".

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 30-08-2007 09:18PM

D.T. Jesus wrote:

If I was to try to use textspeak, it would take me longer to text/type because I'd be constantly thinking "How the hell can I make this word shorter".

I'd be in exactly the same boat, but it seems so pointless texting like that. I have often text back to my friends asking why they couldn't text back with full words and punctuation and the answer I got from most of them is that they didn't know how to use predictive text and that txt speak was easier. Now I'm no phone expert myself, but predictive text is fairly simple stuff, isn't it? You'd have to be pretty thick not to be able to figure it out.

Dudess · 30-08-2007 09:55PM

CaptainNegative wrote:

You'd have to be pretty thick not to be able to figure it out.

You'd think that, wouldn't you? Yet my brother, a partner in a law firm and only in his early 30s, nope, can't do it for the life of him.

My best friend: one of the most intelligent people I know. Again, can't get his head around the auld predictive texting.

SumGuy wrote:

it really doesn't matter.

It kinda does though. As Max_Damage says:

I often wonder what the English language will be like in 50 years time, or even 20 years. Text speak is like Newspeak (from Nineteen Eighty-Four) in a different form.

*Doubleplusungood*

The point of Newspeak was to reduce the English vocabulary to the bare minimum, thus future generations would not have enough scope for committing thoughtcrime - there wouldn't be enough words for them to do so. God, yet another of Orwell's predictions coming true!
Language being f*cked around with - not good. I'm not saying text-speak is part of some conspiracy for world domination (although I might run that by tunaman!) but the eradication of words and phrases is quite a horrible thought.

D.T. Jesus wrote:

If I was to try to use textspeak, it would take me longer to text/type because I'd be constantly thinking "How the hell can I make this word shorter".

Heh, me too. That's exactly the point Terry was making earlier about it being more difficult to type text-speak than proper English.
I wonder if other languages are being similarly raped?

Text message speak...

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