An american friend of mine told me about something that happened in a cinema at the weekend. They were watching White Noise. In one of the jumpy moments a teenager from the Thumb Tribe generation called out OMG! Not "Oh My God", or "Oh My Goodness", but the letters "O-M-G".

Is this the future of our language, ppl?

Oh I do so hope not! I can understand using text speak for mobiles, but hate it when I see it used elsewhere. A mate of mine is a Uni Lecturer, and course work is getting handed in to her in Text Speak - she was returning it and asking for it to be written correctly, but some just don't know how! Pathetic when those in Uni can't even understand plain English! :mad2:

Noooooooo.

Next thing is they will be shortening names and I'll be known as A.
It took me a while to realise what you meant by the "thumb tribe generation":laugh:

This kind of shortening has its roots in USENET (early internet discussion groups, which still exist and are known as "newsgroups") - not in textspeak. Go >here< (http://ellis.dyndns.biz/WTF.html) for a list of USENET acronyms. (I had to tone them down a little since the page is hosted on my firm's server...)

I know what you mean Dab. When my kids are on MSN I'm not allowed to look over their shoulders, but I wouldn't be able to understand it anyway. Text speak is useful for texting but that's it. I prefer to use the full word even when texting, although my mum, who's 67, is a dab hand at it!

Slightly off topic, in that it's nothing to to with text speak, but my daughter's latest insult to my son is calling him a 'jar' as in 'jarring'!

When my kids are on MSN I'm not allowed to look over their shoulders, but I wouldn't be able to understand it anyway. Text speak is useful for texting but that's it.

My boys are just the same Max - I can't understand a word they type on msn, it makes it so difficult to keep an eye on what they are up to!!!

The only time I use text speak is if I am sending a text and the message is so long I wouldn't fit in otherwise.

my daughter's latest insult to my son is calling him a 'jar' as in 'jarring'!
What does jarring mean?? I haven't heard of this insult!?

I don't really see any problem with the abbreviating of terms. It's just a natural progression in language. There is no real "right" english as long as you get the point across. Now, I don't think it is necessarily appropriate in say formal papers, as there is a given format for that and the formality is a clue as to the reliability of the author of a paper.

But I don't see anything wrong with it say in taking notes in school or typing online. Language will always be changing, so what is the point in trying to say "you can't speak this way." And i don't think it makes anyone less smart to say "O-M-G" instead of "Oh my God"....or "W-T-F" instead of "What the F***."

It's like a friend of mine's family. They insist that using "proper" english is important, as it is a sign of intelligence and manners. I frankly think that's crap. I come from somewhere where we say "ain't" and "y'all"...and i haven't tried to change my speaking habits at all...and dont' think it reflects on how smart I am or capable I am. It just wouldn't be me to speak a way that would take unnecessary effort.

Now, I think there are appropriate times for using different styles of language, but in general I don't understand the claim that a language can be evolving in a negative direction. I really don't think languages evolve so much as they simply just change.

However, I do find it difficult to read the posts of a 13 yr. old on some message boards..so i just end up skipping over it. lol...but hey...it works for them.

I agree with Islandman in that there is something natural about the progression or evolution of language. I don't regard abbreviation as distasteful or a reflection of intelligence in any way. However, as there is a movement towards text and abbreviation there comes with it a loss of the language that I have known and I am attached to my history with language. As an additional point, abbreviation, for me, is associated with the 'busyness' of people as well which I hate - "I don't have time to talk". If anyone ever says that to me in full or abbreviated words, they are officially on my blacklist!!!

Is this the future of our language, ppl?

Do you think that each word has a correct spelling and meaning, and that to spell or use it any other way is wrong?

What does jarring mean?? I haven't heard of this insult!?

Jarring isn't or wasn't really an insult, Flip. You might say something is jarring as in getting on your nerves. Like fingers down a blackboard. I don't hink it's something you would normally apply to a person.

Do you think that each word has a correct spelling and meaning, and that to spell or use it any other way is wrong?

I'm a writer SF. A communicator, really. I love reading and writing in all sorts of genres, and I've done a fair bit of stand-at-the-front speaking. I'm an amateur student of social change as indicated and/or driven by language development... have been for many years.

So rather than trying to be prescriptive about this, I was making an observation and inviting comment.

In fact, I don't like it when we lose richness from our beautiful language - and I think we can see that happening to a certain extent in some young texters. On the other hand I love it when the slang and jargon of a new generation spreads into mainstream use, particularly when it springs from technological change. That's growth and enrichment, and it's exciting.

abbreviating expressions to acronysms certainly predates texting and the internet -

e.g. I think these 2 were used during WW2:-

TTFN (ta ta for now)
BF (bloody fool)

my grandmother (born 1892) used to call those she thought stupid MDs (mental defectives).

And of course names and organisations have used initials for centuries.

I dont like txt speak or type - main reason I dont "get it".....

Second reason is, the amount of time and trouble my English teachers went to, to teach me English Language - when I was at school (back in the middle ages) we got taught the full words, such as DO NOT as opposed to Don't - we were then taught how to abbrieviate it from DO NOT to Don't - when I started reading and writing, Janet and John did not say don't or didn't or can't - they said do not, did not, and cannot.......yet my nieces and step children actually think that dont (and the like) are actual words and not abbreviations of 2 words like how I was taught........mind you, it WAS 35 years ago.........

TTFN (ta ta for now)
BF (bloody fool)

Oh and another I can think of is OTT [Over The Top]

I dislike text speak in any other context than in a text, even when it is in a text I still take moments to read and re-read to decipher the actual meaning. But text speak does have a place - on a mobile phone! And it, like the internet is now another form of communication - so I can see what Dab is saying - all new forms of communication are exciting.

Can't say I get excited about text speak however, what I do find fascinating is the use of language - and I am sooooo not a student of language [prefer figures meeself] but I am always amused at the way foreign peopkle use the British language - incorrectly, but so beautifully and we all know what they mean. I can't think of an example - but do you know what I mean?

I always refer back to some Canadian friends of mine who wet their pants laughing at me everytime I use the word 'fortnight' - they associate this word with Olde English circa Shakespeares days!! And yet it is a common word here in the UK.

Yeh, Flip, when I lived in America, they didn't use the word "fortnight", had never heard of it. Consequently I don't use it often now, because I've got so used to not using it.

I have to admit that I get quite snotty about what I regard to be "correct" language / grammar etc. Not openly snotty you understand, but privately :blush: . But it often depends on the context (e.g. who / where etc.). E.g. "Americanisms" don't annoy me when used by an American, but they bug me a bit when used by someone British.

But whether we like it or not, language does evolve and we ALL submit to it eventually or we lose the ability to communicate with others in the modern world. And whether we realise it or not, we all have already submitted to it in our own lifetimes. None of us speak (gramatically) exactly as our parents would have at our age. E.g. nowdays, everyone feels happy enough to type/write the letters OK instead of "Okay", even though it is an abbreviation. In fact, the full word "Okay" was originally a slang for many other words or phrases such as "adequate", "acceptable", "yes", "I understand" and is commonly used and accepted by everyone these days in place of the original, alternative words.

Whether you like it or not at the moment, I reckon we'll all be talking and writing in txtspk within the next 20 years! :laugh:

I have to say I always write "Okay" rather than OK...

I'm quite fussy and do correct people when they say they've "drove" somewhere rather than driven etc... but I do say things like that myself at times... It doesn't really bother me too much it just sounds a bit horrible and lazy IMO

Abbreviations I don't mind such as Cya (see you) IMO (In my opinion) OTT (Over the top) since I think lots of people understand them and it's just quicker... what I don't like is stuff like "newa" (anyway) I can't read it, I don't understand it...

I always text in full english with proper grammar and punctuation and everything... weird really... if my messages are too long I'll then go back and abbreviate where possible... (to becomes 2, for becomes 4 etc...)

The main shopping centre in Preston used to be called St. George's which is nice and English... it's now called "The Mall," it annoys me...

And when it comes to messageboards I rarely use commas, I usually put "..." for some unknown reason, but you will find "..." all over my posts!

such as Cya (see you)

Now does anyone else read this as 'sire'??

"I always text in full english with proper grammar and punctuation and everything... weird really... if my messages are too long I'll then go back and abbreviate where possible... (to becomes 2, for becomes 4 etc...) "

Ditto - Im with Flyo with this. Use dictionary to text, so fast and not so harsh on the thumbs!

"Now does anyone else read this as 'sire'??"

No

"Now does anyone else read this as 'sire'??"

No
Well if you stuck an 'n' on the end it would become Cyan - which is a colour and I have always said that Si [as in Simon] an [as in Anne]. Maybe I have been saying it wrong all these years?