iz txtN d nu poetry? :-S
Recently, many language traditionalists have been lamenting the decline and fall of the English language caused by the increasing use of mobile texting, instant messaging and email. But is this really a backwards step in how we communicate?
The English language has never been static. It began as a mongrel language made up of a mishmash of Germanic and Indo-European dialects. Since then, English has been continually evolving – the way we write words and the way we choose to arrange them has been constantly changing. New words are added to our vocabularies, old words are left to wither and die, while other words change form or blend with each other.
One of the driving factors in the evolution of language is that we are constantly striving for new ways of expressing ourselves that are more concise and economical. While language conservatives have attacked textspeak as a lazy avenue for people who won’t put in the effort to learn the conventions of English, textspeak is simply a stage in the long history of the evolution of the English language. Emailing and to a greater extent texting and instant messaging actually encourage writers to be more succinct in the way they communicate. People are more innovative in shortening words, using abbreviations and altering spelling to get their message across as quickly and directly as possible.
In addition to its economy, the textspeak form, by its nature, actually inspires creativity. Rather than unquestioningly following conventions, texters are continually striving to create new, interesting forms of language. In many ways, texting is a new form of poetry continuing poetic traditions of playing with conventions and word meanings. It is an art form that is being engaged in, unsuspectingly, by a huge section of the community. Young people are the leaders of this form, constantly creating new words and expressions to score kudos with their friends. This renewed interest in the written word is something that teachers need to latch onto. Since when has writing been this cool?
Emoticons - symbols that allow the writer to express emotions such as smiling :-) frowning :-( or even sarcasm :-7 – are also driving the evolution of English. They have become standard in textspeak as a way of clarifying ambiguity in written communication. Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman, credited as the first person to use the smiley face 25 years ago points out that “After all, when using text-based online communication, we lack the body language or tone-of-voice cues that convey this information when we talk in person or on the phone.” With one character, the meaning of a sentence can be changed. E.g. “Great game on Sunday :)” or “Great game on Sunday :7” (sarcastic). In a public relations soaked world where ambiguity is consistently used as a form of avoiding the truth, the clarification of language is increasingly important.
Just as we use punctuation such as exclamation marks and questions marks, emoticons can be used to clarify meaning in a sentence. Emoticons act like a new form of punctuation but unlike traditional punctuation, they allow endless experimentation. Rather than sticking to the rigid rules of punctuation, writers can insert emoticons in different parts of the text or even combine emoticons to convey meaning. If there isn’t an emoticon to suit your needs, you can create your own. This continues to stimulate creativity and progress in language.
Critics of emoticons have argued that the symbols will encourage bland use of language. People will not have to make the effort to think of interesting words to make their point. They have also argued that the subtleties and playfulness of good writing of the will be lost. These language traditionalists fail to realise that punctuation has always been used as a way of clarifying meaning. In fact, the first pieces of written English did not contain, shock horror, any full stops, capital letters or spacing. Punctuation slowly developed after the 18th century to make written text easier to understand after which symbols have continually been added to and refined. Emoticons are a stage in this process.
Interestingly, long before the emoticon was invented or computers became ubiquitous, the writer Vladimir Nabakov in an interview with the New York Times made a plea for a symbol for just this purpose.
Interviewer:
“How do you rank yourself among writers (living) and of the immediate past?”
Nabokov:
I often think there should exist a special typographical sign for a smile-- some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket, which I would now like to trace in reply to your question.
If you’re not sold on textspeak, read these clever text pieces.
Luv is nOt a superman compLex. U dO not luv sum1 bcOz u tink he/she nids rescuing. U luv sum1 bcoZ u tink uv fOund sum1 xtraordinary & u wudnt want 2 xchange it 4 anyting eLse in d wOrld...c;
Posted by Che on txtbuff SMS quotes and text messages collection
psych0logical fact: wen a prs0n cries, nd d 1st dr0p of tears c0mes 4m d right eye,its hapiness.. but wen it 1st r0ll frm d left, it's pain.. just try 2 observe.!!
Posted by aicelle07 on txtbuff SMS quotes and text messages collection
Having trouble getting your head around txt language go to
http://www.transl8it.com/ for a direct txt to traditional English translation.
The English language has never been static. It began as a mongrel language made up of a mishmash of Germanic and Indo-European dialects. Since then, English has been continually evolving – the way we write words and the way we choose to arrange them has been constantly changing. New words are added to our vocabularies, old words are left to wither and die, while other words change form or blend with each other.
One of the driving factors in the evolution of language is that we are constantly striving for new ways of expressing ourselves that are more concise and economical. While language conservatives have attacked textspeak as a lazy avenue for people who won’t put in the effort to learn the conventions of English, textspeak is simply a stage in the long history of the evolution of the English language. Emailing and to a greater extent texting and instant messaging actually encourage writers to be more succinct in the way they communicate. People are more innovative in shortening words, using abbreviations and altering spelling to get their message across as quickly and directly as possible.
In addition to its economy, the textspeak form, by its nature, actually inspires creativity. Rather than unquestioningly following conventions, texters are continually striving to create new, interesting forms of language. In many ways, texting is a new form of poetry continuing poetic traditions of playing with conventions and word meanings. It is an art form that is being engaged in, unsuspectingly, by a huge section of the community. Young people are the leaders of this form, constantly creating new words and expressions to score kudos with their friends. This renewed interest in the written word is something that teachers need to latch onto. Since when has writing been this cool?
Emoticons - symbols that allow the writer to express emotions such as smiling :-) frowning :-( or even sarcasm :-7 – are also driving the evolution of English. They have become standard in textspeak as a way of clarifying ambiguity in written communication. Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman, credited as the first person to use the smiley face 25 years ago points out that “After all, when using text-based online communication, we lack the body language or tone-of-voice cues that convey this information when we talk in person or on the phone.” With one character, the meaning of a sentence can be changed. E.g. “Great game on Sunday :)” or “Great game on Sunday :7” (sarcastic). In a public relations soaked world where ambiguity is consistently used as a form of avoiding the truth, the clarification of language is increasingly important.
Just as we use punctuation such as exclamation marks and questions marks, emoticons can be used to clarify meaning in a sentence. Emoticons act like a new form of punctuation but unlike traditional punctuation, they allow endless experimentation. Rather than sticking to the rigid rules of punctuation, writers can insert emoticons in different parts of the text or even combine emoticons to convey meaning. If there isn’t an emoticon to suit your needs, you can create your own. This continues to stimulate creativity and progress in language.
Critics of emoticons have argued that the symbols will encourage bland use of language. People will not have to make the effort to think of interesting words to make their point. They have also argued that the subtleties and playfulness of good writing of the will be lost. These language traditionalists fail to realise that punctuation has always been used as a way of clarifying meaning. In fact, the first pieces of written English did not contain, shock horror, any full stops, capital letters or spacing. Punctuation slowly developed after the 18th century to make written text easier to understand after which symbols have continually been added to and refined. Emoticons are a stage in this process.
Interestingly, long before the emoticon was invented or computers became ubiquitous, the writer Vladimir Nabakov in an interview with the New York Times made a plea for a symbol for just this purpose.
Interviewer:
“How do you rank yourself among writers (living) and of the immediate past?”
Nabokov:
I often think there should exist a special typographical sign for a smile-- some sort of concave mark, a supine round bracket, which I would now like to trace in reply to your question.
If you’re not sold on textspeak, read these clever text pieces.
Luv is nOt a superman compLex. U dO not luv sum1 bcOz u tink he/she nids rescuing. U luv sum1 bcoZ u tink uv fOund sum1 xtraordinary & u wudnt want 2 xchange it 4 anyting eLse in d wOrld...c;
Posted by Che on txtbuff SMS quotes and text messages collection
psych0logical fact: wen a prs0n cries, nd d 1st dr0p of tears c0mes 4m d right eye,its hapiness.. but wen it 1st r0ll frm d left, it's pain.. just try 2 observe.!!
Posted by aicelle07 on txtbuff SMS quotes and text messages collection
Having trouble getting your head around txt language go to
http://www.transl8it.com/ for a direct txt to traditional English translation.
Comments
I'm supposed to be...I'm old.
Seriously? It's like sending a telegraph: you're compressing a signal using a lossy algorithm that relies upon detailed knowledge of its characteristics. This uses the most sophisticated algorithm and computational system available to us - the human brain.
It makes sense if you're trying to squeeze a lot into 250 characters, but comes with a penalty: deciphering it takes effort. Making someone else pay that penalty when its unnecessary is foolish, and socially such writing is often inappropriate. I'd throw away a resume that had typos in it, but I'd hunt down and choke a guy who submitted a resume with txtspk.
That said, i h8 it n my phn bt i cn tolr8 it. kthxbai