I've just had a butchers at this thread.. http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28272
and noticed that some other forum members, like me, hate text speak with a passion.

The question I have, for anyone really, but specifically those that choose to this div-oid language is. .

Can anyone give me a good reason for using it on a public forum??

Personally, I take offence at the use of this language, as it takes noticably longer to decipher and read this language.

The way I see it, If you cannot be bothered to write in an easily recognisable format, then you are stealing my life, as I'm wasting more time than is necessary to read your broken english!!!

Seriously, can anyone give me an actual reason for this appauling barsteward-isation of the written word!!

I think the forum is for free speech and people should be allowed to type how they want. If its gobbly gook don't read it you do have a choice.:)

I personally like to use full english when typing, but when texting on a mobile phone, I sometimes contract words to save text as you can only get 150 characters on a standard text, however I usually use T9 which is fast if you understand it, and comes out with proper english.

I don't like IIRC, PMSL or LOL, I would rather vary my writing than start getting into a lazy habit of putting these horrible little acronyms, which often have differing meanings to different people.

TTFN

I am quite happy to recieve text speak provided it's from a phone, but the use of text speak when a keyboard is at your disposal is just plain lazy.

I hate TTFN with a vengeance:P lol

I quite often say lol when speaking face to face with people.

Originally posted by munky
I've just had a butchers at this thread.. http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28272
and noticed that some other forum members, like me, hate text speak with a passion.

The question I have, for anyone really, but specifically those that choose to this div-oid language is. .

Can anyone give me a good reason for using it on a public forum??

Personally, I take offence at the use of this language, as it takes noticably longer to decipher and read this language.

The way I see it, If you cannot be bothered to write in an easily recognisable format, then you are stealing my life, as I'm wasting more time than is necessary to read your broken english!!!

Seriously, can anyone give me an actual reason for this appauling barsteward-isation of the written word!!

prbz coz it ezr 4 txtin init so it kwik n ez

Originally posted by tslogf74
I quite often say lol when speaking face to face with people.

I often say "we were lolling"(or rofling), and most people IRL have NO idea what I mean hehe .... I spend far too much time online obviously ...

I know muddy was making a joke, but people have been saying TTFN since owdlad was a lad ... my father used to say it all the time ... and he'd be 90 if he was still amongst those present :)

EDIT:
well, not ALL the time obviiously, only when he was leaving the house ....

I think the forum is for free speech and people should be allowed to type how they want. If its gobbly gook don't read it you do have a choice.

The trouble with that approach though Biker, is where does common sense come into play? If we all posted in whatever style we saw fit we'd be open to french, latvian, braille, hieroglyphs, backwards text etc. Yes it's a free world and we can all type how we want, but the people that are posting in txt spk, as owdlad rightly points out, are simply being lazy, and probably can't string a gramatically correct sentence together free from even the most basic spelling mistakes if they tried. There's ample evidence for that in munky's highlighted thread.

It's a sign of the alarming decline in writing standards amongst kids over the last decade or so, and as such, can't be excused on a credible forum.

No-one should expect every post to be 100% error free as far as grammar, spelling and punctuation go (mine often leave much to be desired), but I think a basic standard of comprehension isn't too much to ask for when reading a post. Ths iz jst cmpl8t coblrs az it wasts vrybdyz tym tryn 2 decyfr.

Originally posted by tslogf74
I quite often say lol when speaking face to face with people.
What would you do if the gentleman you were speaking to, turned out to be named Lol ?

I can't believe that old thread has popped up again! I feel kind of responsible for starting it in the first place, when otherwise it might have just gone away unnoticed!

I agree in the main with the majority of the posts on this thread; I know I am not 100% error free, but I try to be, and I think that's what is important. I like to read posts that are eloquent and make good use of grammar, and as such have enough respect for my fellow forummers to try and provide them with same when reading my posts.

"Txt Spk" has it's place; that place is in a text message only. I find it quite acceptable to shorten words and phrases when I am being charged for the length of my message ( in the way that telegrams were years ago) or in a text. In other situations I find it extremely annoying.

That's my twopenneth; Come on MsNutty, enlighten us!!!

K x

Its like a crap tv show and people who sit there watching it complaining they can turn over or turn it off. Same as Ant gobbly gook at the bottom of his post I just couldn't be bothered to read it. Same as differn't languages if someone posted in french or any other language I would just skip it.:)

I just got a new phone and now when texting I spell everything out..... :)

I think I have a lot to learn....

Joe

I don't use text speak, to me it makes you look daft and looks crap. When I'm writing text messages I always use proper English and spell things properly where possible, sometimes you have to shorten words cos of the character limit though.

I try and use proper words wherever possible in Text Messages.

However.. if I reach the limit and still need more in the message i'll go back and alter it accordingly to get everything on!

Originally posted by Bikertec
Its like a crap tv show and people who sit there watching it complaining they can turn over or turn it off. Same as Ant gobbly gook at the bottom of his post I just couldn't be bothered to read it. Same as differn't languages if someone posted in french or any other language I would just skip it.:)

Thats a bad analagy.
The written word is usually written with some form of flow and can be read at the readers speed.
txt spk is impossible to read with flow and the person who wrote it, dictates how fast it can be read, by how easy it is to decipher!
Why should someone who has the physical ability to do the first, be selfish and choose to do the second, on a public forum. If you try and read txt spk with flow and at speed, it makes no sence at all.
Using text speak when theres 105 keys sat infront of you, is in my opinion, self-ish and rude!

Its more like watchin a program that you are enjoying and watching with great interest and finding a bit right in the middle that doesn't make any real sence, in relevence to the previous stuff you've watched, thus ruining the program and the experience of the show. Why should I look away from something I'm enjoying, because someone contributes utter nonesence..

Originally posted by munky
Using text speak when theres 105 keys sat infront of you, is in my opinion, selfish and rude!
Correct.
Not only that, I have experienced a number of occasions where a text message has been misconstrued, because it is not clear enough to be unambiguous. It is easy to read a short text message in a different context to that in which it was written and find it insulting, confusing or misleading.

While talking on a forum like this, people are generally trying to explain themselves and their opinions by debate. And when people regularly misspell words and it confuses the meaning, if it were all text message shorthand speak, most people would have no change of being understood, never mind explaining complicated areas of opinion or taste.

Even with the full richness of the english written word we occasionally have to resort to emoticons to express tone or mood.

I use full English on text messages. The predictive text doesn't understand abbreviations. If I run out of characters I just send 2 messages, I get them free anyway.