to think that people who complain about textspeak are

[milliemoosmum]

pompous, pedantic, dinosaurs who cannot accept that the English language constantly changes.

And as for people who pretend they don't know what it says when they clearly do....don't get me started.

Anyone who corrects anyone's spelling, punctuation or grammar or complains about textspeak (unless correcting someone who corrects others to point out that they are not perfect) just makes themselves look like a massive arse.

Discuss.

I am with mcsnail. I loathe text speak with a passion. On mobile phones, fine. But anywhere else is just plain lazy and makes me wonder if the person doing text speak even knows how to spell the words properly.

And I think the day that blue chip companies (or even smaller companies)/ examination boards allow text speak is still far away. I mean could you imagine receiving an official correspondence with text speak in it? Please!

Mobiles have predictive text so it's really not that much of a faff to spell words out properly even there. The only person I know who does textspeak on texts is my mum but she's mad.

The problem with letting kids/teens think it's ok is that they then never learn to spell properly and you get CVs full of glaring spelling errors (despite spellcheck) which you are morally obliged to chuck in the bin.

I've received a job application form full of text speak.

They didn't get the job.

To the OP, I can read text speak, but I'm not used to it (none of my friend's use it), so I have to make a conscious effort to decipher it, which means whatever I'm reading doesn't flow properly. It's just easier reading something in proper English.

generally what nooka said but also incorporating all the sentiment that those who use it, outside the realms of a text sent to their friends, look like half wits and I disregard their input immediately

MrsChemist - really??? As much as I believe you, I'm still shocked.

Language does evolve but must still be used and spelt correctly. Text speak does neither so isn't evolution but bastardisation and is utterly unnecessary.

agree with nooka

Textspeak is the hairy growth on the face of the English language.

As for correcting the spelling or grammar of others - Yesterday my friend, after attending the rugby match, announced on Facebook "were going to Wembley" My heart sank, thinking our team had just lost and were not going to the finals anymore. Only by questioning this did I discover that they did win and "we're going to Wembley"

The only reason not to correct another's errors is the law that means you will make an error yourself while doing so.

I wouldn't complain about textspeak and it certainly doesn't offend me but I don't particularly like it, not even in texts if used excessively!

Personally, if does with educational intent rather than malice, I am grateful to anyone who corrects my spelling, punctuation and grammar. I am definitely (spelt that definately until recently) interested in improving mine, but as no one ever corrects it now the only way I can improve it is by reading lists of common mistakes on the internet.

I was in my late teens before anyone pointed out that I was spelling environment without the n and February without the r. I was horrified that no one had pointed it out before! If I notice that someone has spelt a word incorrectly I always try to include that word spelt correctly in my reply. However, in my experience, that is too subtle. I am sure I read teh words february and environment many hundreds of times and I still didn't notice...

I cannot abide textspeak. It has nothing to do with not accepting that the English language is constantly evolving, after all, ours is one of the most beautiful languages in the world, with influences from just about every major language style known. God forbid we ever have to go as far as France in having a committee whose job is to artificially preserve the integrity of their language by deciding which foreign words are allowed and which are not. However, my personal preference is to read proper words, not shorthand.

The fact that I prefer to read something where the spelling and grammar are correct does not make me a dinosaur (though I admit to the big arse!)

Does anybody else remember a few years back when a teen doing her GCSEs or similar tests wrote out a whole examination in text speak and still passed because the use of proper English skills was not assessed in that particular exam?

Also, what bugs me is when my mother writes in 'text speak' (mainly just shortening words, but has the occasional number thrown in) to me online and in text messages. She's in her late forties and I know that she knows how to spell and use correct grammar but she doesn't because, as she happily admits herself, she is lazy rolls eyes My Mother is odd and I do try to understand what she's saying, but her version of text speak is a lot different to traditional txt spk!

Seatrek: Definately is Definitely?! Learn something new everyday eh?

Textspeak is just ridiculous. It's irritating, unnecessary and it makes me cringe. A word is spelt a certain way, why suddenly just change it because you feel like it? I don't actually care if that makes me pompous, pedantic dinosaur either. At least I don't make a pathetic attempt at being 'down wit da kidz' at age 43.

In my view the argument of the English Language constantly evolving only really applies for the way words are spoken and the way they are used. So, for example, pitiful, pathetic, sad, all used to mean tragic in a sympathetic sense, now they have all come to mean inadequate in a very unsympathetic sense.

I doubt anyone would have said "had a great time" 100 years ago. Great probably didn't mean good, but the language has evolved so it now does, in the common vernacular.

However, Great being texted as Gr8 is not an evolution in language. The word's meaning has not altered, nor has its pronunciation (both the most important aspects of language evolution I'd say), just its so called "spelling" because people are too lazy - or I concede too busy - to text the whole word.

What's the opposite of evolution? Because in textspeak I can only see a return to grunting caveman communication. "Ug sez ur gr8. Want 2 eat ur fleas"

Heh heh - marvellous.

PorphyrophillicPixie: Yes

It is one of the most common spelling mistakes, apparently. I still spell it wrong now, and then immediately go back on correct myself. I have been spelling it wrong for a long time!

Textspeak doesn't bother me on mobiles, or even on forums too much, so long as it's not excessive, although I would never have got

Well said Megatron, my sister-in -law does this (44) and I find it so annoying. Takes me twice as long to decipher her texts.

Yes, it was full of, "I lk goin 2 da movies wiv m8es," and the like.

It was quite sad actually, because she was only young, and would clearly struggle to get a job and might not even really understand why.

o gd i h8 txtspk. its not a gud use of lttrs at all. my m8 uses it att

can anyone read that? i dont see the point in missing out a couple of letters. it doesnt save that much time and renders the sentence practically illegible. yes I am a dinosaur, but at least I can speak correctly!

YABU - text speak is so bloody difficult to read on a long post. It was designed for use on a small screen with limited character space - and that's where it should stay. IMO its discourteous to subject other people to long posts in text speak. As with other posters, I will skip a thread which is full of text speak as it is so bloody hard to read in copious amounts.

Agree with the rest of your post though re picking up on spelling, punctuation etc.

Oh I hate 'da' for 'the'.
Da is my father.

Textspeak is for teenagers. If you aint a teenager, then you come across as a bit of a moron if you use it.

Sorry - but thats the way it is!

I trust you arent 50 and wearing hotpants?

I got sent my first txtspk text a wee while ago, it made my eyes hurt...

I sent her another text a while later, still in full english, and thankfully she seems to have got the message... iykwim...

What I genuinely don't understand is why do people write tha instead of the? it's using the same amount of letters, so is just spelling a word WRONG....

Agree with all of your post except "And as for people who pretend they don't know what it says when they clearly do....don't get me started." I'm not pretending, I just don't get it I'm sorry. I too will skip a post that contains a lot of textspeak just for that reason.

YABU

Text-speak - unless being used in a text (and as others have said, these days with predictive text, it even looks a bit sad then) - just makes the user look a) ridiculously poorly educated or b) somewhat pathetic in their desperate attempt to be, as someone else put it 'down wit da kidz'.

For some reason it looks particularly ridiculous on MN because most posters here are articulate/funny/savage/sarcastic/ironic (or just aware how much the majority of MNetters loathe text-speak) and need to be able to express themselves more fluently than 'Hi hun, gr8 m8s, lol' or whatever they might write on Other Forums.

I love Stephen Fry but have to disagree with him on this - in response to the OP, actually I think text-speak makes those who use it look like massive arses.