using texting abbreviations instead of English

hi my dear hatley, i am having a hard time to understand it. first i am not from the US so words that are short cut or abbriviation is hard for me to comprehend. all i know is the LOL but more than that i can no longer understand. like the LMAO or other words i dont know tha acronym. i ran at a discussion and it has "opt" and i dont know the meaning of that. i get lost in them middle of a discussion.

The impact of modern technology - IM, hahaI would definitely agree on you with this one - why can't they just type plain old English? Haha

That, unfortunately is the downside of text messaging which has led more people to use abbreviations or shortcuts even when actually writing. Because people tend to use abbreviated words too often, they forget that when not using the cellphone they should be spelling out correctly. It drives me nuts, too. So, please, please, let's get back to real English out here, okay?

Yes it does make me mad and I have said that before as I find it is abusing the English Language there is no need for it As far as I am concerned when you text yes you have to use it to make the Message shorter or it will cost you but when writing here or Emails I think it should be done properly, I keep telling my Children of for that as they do it in Face book and that lol but they tell "Mum this is how it is done here" lol, well ok but when it comes to Discussions I think it should not be done in text sense

I know what you mean, Hatley. I cannot stand the textspeak. One responder here mentioned receiving a job application with abbreviations...unbelieveable!!! I did hear or read somewhere that abbreviations or textspeak is even being accepted in homework or writing assignments. The teachers are saying that it is becoming more the 'norm' in a form of writing. To me that is UNACCEPTABLE!!! If I was a teacher, I would never accept any homework that is written in this fashion. I would definitely have the student to redo the assignment using proper spelling and sentence structure. I'll be taking some classes this fall and believe me, I will not have any of this kind of 'jargon' in any of my homework.

Hate it, hate it, hate it. It's ok in texts, but just lazy anywhere else. I love the fact that language changes, but not when it's ruined. I also think it diminishes what the person is saying.

Hatley I agree with you. sometimes I do not get the meaning of the acronyms and the interpretation changes to some some extent. I hardly use it and would not like to read it here, atleast. Thanks.

i also like to write plain english. its not my mother tongue. i must admit taht sometimes i can't even understand the abbreviations. its sad of me. I have just noticed you have reached the magic figure. congrats.

Hi Hatley, I feel the same as 'u' LOL, you. I write the whole word in discussions and even when texting tend to also, my girls in their texts and instant messages will use abbreviations though as I think it is more a thing the young do. I have seen a couple of discussion with the odd one in the heading which they have apologised for but couldn't fit into the header without using which is fair enough. Ellie :D

I couldn't agree with you more. I have experienced this too. And I can say texting has influenced people so much that they have adapted it and are using it everywhere they write or say something. The worst thing is that I can't even understand the word(s) and thus I'm having a hard time responding. I think that English the normal and ethical way is the best option, no abbreviations, no slang or vulgar words.

Hi Hatley.I have the same feeling as you are.I've seen some topics in here that has abbreviations.But i have to take both sides...maybe those who do that thinks that everybody in here knows what these abbreviated words mean.It is good you made this topic and hoping that some would drop by if not to respond/post to you topic at least read how others are feeling when it comes to problems like this.If it's not too much for the asking....maybe....maybe...as we write the abbreviations we can include in a parenthesis the meaning of it.

I have no problems whatsoever with deciphering texting abbreviations. I do use it only when texting other people because I have to limit it to one message so I can save load/credits. However, I do not use it when I'm using the computer since there's no credits to save and it is easier to type since all the keys are presented in the keyboard unlike with the phone. I do dislike texting abbreviations for it does not help people learn the correct spelling of English words. I think it's also lazy to type texting abbreviations on the PC. All the keys are in front of the user. All he/she has to do is to look for it and press it.

In general it does annoy me to have to read misspelled words everywhere. However, depending on the context of the conversation, I will give some leeway. For instance, if the person is my friend (in real life), I am more considerate because I know our conversation is just a casual one, and doesn't require such formality. On the other hand, if I'm conversing with someone professionally (say for business or anything along those lines), I will be extremely annoyed that the person isn't even making an attempt at spelling correctly. This is, after all, your work, and you should be professional about it, if only because you represent the business.

It bothers the crap out of me! Now texting on a phone, I use abbreviations to save space, but here, there is plenty of room to type out words! I mean, is it that much extra effort to type out the whole word? It is just so much easier for others to read! But I use the occasional omg, lol, rofl, or brb, so I can't be too harsh.

If the mylot guidelines have not changed, then it still says we aren't supposed to use text speak. It does get old. I can usually decipher it, but really, why can't we all just write out the words? I mean, the longer the posts are the better, so I appreciate it when people go ahead and spell out the entire word instead of just an abbreviation.

Hi Hatley.. I for one do not like to use abbreviations...I prefer to write it all out...I feel that if I don't write it all out then I am cheating my friends here at Mylot out of a good post or response.... It certainly can get confusing for sure.....I think it takes more time to abbreviate than to just write it all out.....

Yes, it bothers me. I hope that I don't sound snobby or snotty by saying so, but I have never been a fan of 'text speak' or 'im speak' or 'teenspeak'. No wonder people are going to school and writing 'ur speling thingz rong!' Yikes. These are not even real abbreviations, such as don't, can't, etc. I hope that I do not see posts from people stating that 'all younger people talk/text/write like this' because I am relatively younger and I have NEVER talked/texted/spoken like that! Here and there perhaps but it never feels right.

That does bother me too. It gives me a headache actually. I end up not answering that discussion and moving on to the next. I'm so nitpicky even when it comes to indenting and paragraphing. If I make any spelling errors, I even post another comment indicating the correction.

Yes it is pretty annoying! Although I do it myself sometimes, but only with little things. I know some people that abbreviate every word. Then while I'm trying to figured out what they said, they text back with this... (???) It does bother me! Have a great night!

If I am on yahoo or something like that I will use the abbreviations but on how I type normal. I find myself on here sometimes abb. my words because I am used to that but I catch myself so I can type English so no one on here will have trouble reading what I am saying. But if I found a discussion that had the abb. on it then I wouldn't mind but I'll style type out the word for others to be able to read.