Chatspeak - How It Influences Peoples Opinions

Oh, do I feel silly, I'm a bit older and for the life of me there have been post, discussions and responses that have made little if any sense to me because of what I now know (thanks to your post) is "chatspeak". Honestly I guess it has been altering my thoughts/opinion -- I'm sure now that some of this individuals are well educated and informed and are just using excessive "chatspeak". For me I like the simple straightforward old fashion ways of communitcating in full words and sentences -- disrepectful? sloppy? I don't know about that I think everyone is moving so fast now a days that "shortcuts" are the new "fad" and chatspeak is another new "fad" hopefully like the the "disposable dress in a can" of the sixties it will pass. Thank you though for clearing it up for me :)

I do find it hard to appreciate someone's comments, if they are fraught with u's and ur's and such. I understand using acronymns in instant messaging, since it's communication that is designed to be just that -- instant. If I want to convey a longer message, I'll email. However, on the flip side, I admit that I do use "LOL" and "smilies" in message board posting, solely with the intention of attaching and conveying the correct emotions, along with my words, where no real inflection is possible. If I think that I run the risk of offending someone because they might misinterpret what I've written, I'll be sure to add a :) or ;) at the end, hoping they'll receive my intended meaning. Sarcasm and humor can be difficult to detect, especially if those participating in a discussion don't share the same mother tongue.

I do find that my opinion of someone who uses 'chatspeak' or 'txtspEk' is seriously impaired. I will sometimes use it myself to a limited extent in chatting - it depends a great deal on with whom I'm chatting! Whenever I see a discussion here which uses a lot of 'chatspeak' contractions, I will pass over it (they are usually not worth answering anyway).

I cannot take someone seriously if they type in nothing but chatspeak. I admit, I have been known to use chatspeak myself but not very much, nor very often. I think that it is a sign of laziness because it is not like you are typing much more to actually spell out the word. I think it is funny that people actually take the time to learn chatspeak though - What kind of person actually does that?

the fact that a person makes use of "chatspeak" doesnt really affect or influence my opinion of them. I dont want to judge them by that standard. irritated? not really..

I find it incredibly insulting when someone responds to my posts in what you call "chatspeak" (very good term, by the way, I like it). In my mind, the English language is a beautiful thing that can be so very expressive. The abbreviation and chopping of words into the shortened combination of letters and numbers that people use online is butchery to me. I hate it. I have to admit, I did attempt to use it and will occaisionally slip and use y, ty, yw, wb and that sort of thing in chat on occaision, but I truly hate it. It doesn't feel right. I believe that "chatspeak" is going to be the downfall of modern literature. Young people are losing the ability to write, opting instead to shorten things into unintelligible gibberish that bears no resemblance to English. Of course, this is only my opinion...

oh god i though im the only one... same here i also find it hard to understand chattwords... or abbriviated words.. i dont know much about them. i dont usually make chat to those who dont give enough effort to type the words completely.. i only chat with my friends who also like it in a more let say proper manner.

No not every chatspeak influences me but yes anything which directly or indirectly relates to me does influence me a lot

Hi. I agree. I even started a discussion on here about English, grammar, and spelling. I guess I've never heard the term "chatspeak". But, you definitely make a great point. I know I'm not perfect in my English, or spelling. But, I try to be correct. I think the way we speak/write says something about our creditibility and education.

I dont think that every buddy is free 2 xpress its own feelings or xpressions, I dont feel any problem in it

I tend to use omg, brb and bbs sort of things. But I think that's it. It would take longer for brain to work out 'C U L8r' and find the right keys. 'See you later' is better programmed into my memory o.O And for some reason, I hate 'LOL'. I'll use it when taking the pee, but... I can't write it seriously. When it comes to text/net speak in text messages, my mum's fatser at decoding them than I am. I know it makes a message quicker and shorter to use text speak, but... I don't know the right way to do it and it makes me feel cheap.

Yes, but they've been satruated with a reality-supermarket-level culture. Tacky and lazy as it is, the miracle is that some of them can read anything else. I've read some horrifying stuff, real problems, and they're trying to express it like that. It's not as if anyone's really trying to teach them what you can do with a vocabulary, either. Quite the opposite. What really gets me is when some ancient copywriter starts trying to be a 12 year old gangsta rapper, and they pick up on the jingles and hook lines. That is truly pathetic.

Well some people like me really think a lot before giving out thier opinions. So if you are wise you should know which response you should implement and which you should not. Everybody in this world has different views.

yah I can understand your feeling.Chat speak shows a sign of lethargy on their path.It shows a kind of disrespect towards you.Thus i hate people who feel lazy in typing even small letter words.They feel it is posh and neglect it.But at times i feel that we r loosing the english language essence. So friend i suport your statement.But at times the person lacking time may use it.

I'm guilty of some of it. I try not to (I'm not even sure half the time if that's what I'm doing). I don't even chat that much. But, when my sons were younger, I would be on the computer at night while feeding them. It was a lot easier to type shortened words when you are trying to type with one hand. Bad habit I guess.

OMG it drives me crazy, especially when used in forums like this. It makes people look uneducated and disrespectful when those abbreviations are used anywhere other than a long text message on a cell phone or something similar.

That is scary when a school accepts chatspeak on a paper. What is this world coming to? I think kids today don't really know how to spell or communicate. Even when they talk they abbreviate their words. I use it once in awhile like brb but not when I'm saying something. It's ridiculous.

I don't like people who use chatspeaking all the time. It feels as if they don't even have time for a normal and real conversation. I myself use chat-language but only when I'm noting down lectures and need to note down long stuff in short period of time so chatspeak saves me alot of lagging behind. Otherwise I prefer to use the noraml english for conversing.

I do find it hard to take someone seriously when they use chatspeak, especially the even lazy-than-before crud you see nowadays (u, ur, etc.). Some of the things I see being abbreviated these days are just ridiculous. I unfortunately have to do this with one of my side jobs and it drives me nuts, and I find it hard to remember to do it in the first place. I do tend to use "laugh out loud" sometimes, but mostly to lighten the mood of what might otherwise be taken offensively, since I can sound somewhat sarcastic and text can sometimes be taken the wrong way. Other than that, if I use it it's with someone that was once a fellow chatter; otherwise I type normally. Now, if it's being okay'd in schools, then that's just scary.

Absolutely. I have a teenaged daughter who converses with her friends on im in chatspeak. Therefore, when I see a paragraph typed in chatspeak, I immediately form a mental image of the writer as a teenager. I think it appears immature and lazy and should be confined to im's, if it must be used at all.