Use of 'text speak' on forums and blogs (Rant post!)
It's on the increase, no doubt about it.
Countless threads on forums, and posts on blogs are
cropping up now and its really starting to get on my wick! I think its
lazy, hard to read and just plain daft. It is becoming
socially acceptable to use, as it seems more and more people these days
are using it. I'll freely admit to using it on mobile phones... text messages cost me 10p a go, so it's prudent to be economical with your words! But on t'internet! Never.
What
gets me is give the person a pen and paper and would they write in text
speak? Probably not, so how does the use of a keyboard change their use
of language? I accept that shortened forms of written words have been used in the
past - graffiti is the biggest example. How many times have you noticed
the 'Woz' and recognised its meaning? Quite a bit I would think. But with the advent of the internet, the ability to make yourself heard is so more widespread - is it really that important to distinguish yourself from others by typing differently.
Some argue that its a way of expressing informality and helps
communities to grow and bond. Yes it does, but at what cost? Do those
outsiders to the community, who prefer to use good old structured English feel its a good thing? I can only guess that it will be off pitting to these potential readers. On a similar note, I
wonder how avid 'txt' users view forums and blogs that contain a good use
of English. Is it with the same confusion that their grammatic counterparts do? Probably not...
We could blame the wide spread use of this type of communication solely on Short Messaging System (SMS) and online chat services (iRC, MSN, Yahoo etc.). Trying to cram an SMS message into a limit of 160 characters, or typing a live reply to someone can be a critical thing for some, so I can see why the need has developed. I just wish it would stop there. The time taken to write a forum or blog post isn't that critical most of the time.It seems age is at the heart of this debate. The biggest users of txt speak seem to the younger generation, people who it seems are getting to grips with the English language and choosing to discard it in favour of some looney incoherent babble.
The two biggest purveyors of services used by txt speakers are probably Myspace and Bebo. I'm not even going to link to examples as I'll probably burst a blood vessel - but you've no doubt come across profiles that make you reach for the 'x' or back buttons on your browser faster than you can say (or, should that be type) 'cuz'.
I ran a poll over on uk-mkivs to gauge reaction to what the members felt - the results speak for themselves.
Also worrying to note, they're now allowing txt speak to be used by students during exams in NZ. I dearly hope the same acceptance for students isn't adopted in the UK - I'm sure it will help to speed up the already growing erosion of our language.
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Chris Deloma
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