The "text" "texted" debate.

[ICameOnTheJitney]

Having just insisted that there IS such a word as "texted" I have now decided there is not. I am sick though of hearing "I text Jane yesterday and she said blah de blah"

I realised just a minute ago that it is neither...it's "I sent Jane a text" In the same way as "I sent Jane a parcel" or "I sent Tom a letter"

There can BE no "text" or "texted" you can't "parcel" someone and I'm not "Lettering" anyone.

There. AIBU?

There is no such word as texted. I'm good at ignoring it though

I'm still saying

'I text him yesterday'

I will say 'I lettered him yesterday' if I have to

But text is used as a verb, isn't it? So, just as you wouldn't say you phone someone yesterday; you wouldn't have text them yesterday either.

SP NO! I've just cleared up why you can't say that! If you say "text" then you have to say "I wrote Dave yesterday" too....or "I gift Sue last week"

So you can't email people either?

Can you kiss people? Or do you have to "give them a kiss"?

There are probably loads of cases where nouns have become verbs like this. It's kosher I think.

Jitney I have said I would letter him if I had to

I TEXT HIM YESTERDAY

I'm a out and proud text user and I wont let you change that!

AAAAAHHHHHHHHGGHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

No you didn't, SP, you texted him yesterday. IT'S THE PAST TENSE!!

But isn't the English language full of anomalies and exceptions to rules? That's why I love it!

fwiw I use 'texted'. English is an inflected language, which means that we change the form or end of the word to show tense and other stuff. Therefore, text WOULD BE texted as a past tense verb.

I so did Text him yesterday. In fact I text him last week!

Texted is a silly word

Why can we not have both?
Learned and learnt are both past tenses of the verb learn. Learned follows the inflection rules, but both are permissible

settles herself comfortably on the fence and sips her tea

Ladies I think a linguist out there is doing a THESIS on this very topic!

I've done some linguistic modules at uni and I must say if I were still there I would have loved to do it for my dissertation.

But think how long did take to say "I'm HOVERING" or "I Hoovered yesterday." We have started using the noun 'Hoover' as a verb.

Also:

'I don't like this ornament I'll BIN it?'

I don't hold the answer to this but I'm sure the debate will go on for a few more years :)

"I text him yesterday" sounds utterly bizarre. Are there any (other) words in the English language used for the past tense in this way? I certainly can't think of any. If "text" is a verb (and it is) then it should be "texted". There's no earthly reason why it wouldn't be.

Oxford English Dictionary has it as "texted".

I think that, illogical as it is (like much of the English language), text is the imperfect of text. Texted just sounds so stilted. Teenagers don't say texted, they say text and they're the generation who were/are way ahead with the current technology so I'm inclined to believe them.

Do those who think "texted" sounds weird have a problem with words such as bested, nested etc.? How about place names such as Thaxted? I honestly don't get this argument at all.

Texted sounds strange, just that word. I just don't say it. I say text and so do people I know.

Gah, you can't use text for the simple past - it has to be texted. If you google "to text" conjugation, it clearly says that the simple past is "texted" - so there you go!!!!!

I know English is flexible, but sometimes people get it wrong!

If its wrong, I dont want to be right

Samandi I think it's the combo of letters in texted that makes it "difficult" for some people to say..."nested" is easier...maybe we should say "Tex'ed"

If you are going to use text as a verb, then you must also use tenses

If you don't, you will appear HIDEOUSLY AND UNSPEAKABLY THICK

Jitney - hmm. It seems quite simple to me.

I wonder if people from particular regions/different accents have more trouble than others?

Anyone who uses "text" to mean something they did in the past is wrong.
Either use "sent a text" or the helpful list below.

For example, I'm from the south east (not too far from Thaxted in fact) and I can say it easily.

I say text but it should be texted.

I love judge judy - can you imagine how we would all be speaking and writing if we trusted youth of today?! Text speak and slang is like a secret language which I can decipher. I get as far as lol and that's it. When did I get so old

the german verb "to text so." is smsen

just saying