Spelling

[Mick]

I have noticed how much people use abbreviated words when they are writing TXT messages, in chatrooms and forums. Things like "Wat r u doing?" , "I c u h8 that", "LOL", etc are so commonly used I am wondering what sort of effect this is going to have on children who read it.
Many people know the correct spelling but shorten what they are writing to make it quicker and easier, but what about the people who read it and don't know the right way to spell some words?

I think in the future (could be 5 years or 20 or more), teachers are going to notice more students with spelling problems because they have been exposed to so much incorrect spelling from a very young age.
I'm wondering whether this will be a small problem or a world wide epidemic in the future, what do you think?

[garynightingale]

some spelling is very very annoying and i especially ahte it when words are shortened that are already short anyway!!
that - dat
the - da ??????
WHY its stupid
maybe spelling slang like gd = good is okISH because its shortened by 2 letters but its still pointless.

[lil_mikey91]

Im a 14 yr old and i see a lot of it but it is easier and im still a good spelller :rolleyes:

[Mick]

Im a 14 yr old and i see a lot of it but it is easier and im still a good spelller :rolleyes:

I'm not saying it affects everyone :) , i'm asking is it a problem now and will it be a big problem in the future. I mean big enough that the education department have to do something to combat the problem ;)
Also my question is even though your spelling is good, other people may not be so good. When they read something with incorrect spelling, they may not know and might learn the wrong spelling.

Before mobile phones and chatrooms, using shortened words was pretty rare but now you see it every day on TXT messages, forums, chatrooms.... so most people are exposed to far more.

[Shaunography]

I hate txt talk. It shows one's ignorance. Why say "boi" when it contains the same ammount of letters as "boy"? It's ridiculous.

[Skeletor]

I agree with your thoughts mick but i know some people who post how they speak - as in try to recreate their dialect on forums etc.
For example
I dinnae that - I didn't know that. This to me tells me that someone is trying to pass of as scottish, or is simply using it as a way of humour??

I am from London and therefore sometimes will try to use words such as geezer, example - Hello there how are you my fine friend, - alwite geezer hows it angin'.

[2xGuest426]

Well.. I have my own theory. In english you can just type any word leaving out the first letter, and replacing it with '
' 'ean 'ike 'his :D

That I dea I adopted from an anonymous unnamed IRC user, called Chris, who always told 'ello to everyone when they joined... :D

To tell the truth, I find words like pwned, leet, gotta watcha gonna and so on REALLY annoying :| And what's even more annoying, I am beginning to accidentally use such words myself O_o

[Skeletor]

Well.. I have my own theory. In english you can just type any word leaving out the first letter, and replacing it with '
' 'ean 'ike 'his :D

That I dea I adopted from an anonymous unnamed IRC user, called Chris, who always told 'ello to everyone when they joined... :D

To tell the truth, I find words like pwned, leet, gotta watcha gonna and so on REALLY annoying :| And what's even more annoying, I am beginning to accidentally use such words myself O_o

Hmm yes well, like i said Mister 2xguest42whatever ;), again thats my bad cockney/london influence, and me trying to portray that in irc :D

WHy? ... i have no idea...

[Arkacia]

By what I've read in this thread, future English teachers are going to have their work cut out for them, trying to teach "pure" English, to students used to using leet and cyber babble.

It was interesting that you brought up the "write in accent" Skeletor, as I've seen it on a few forums, and for some reason, it never bothers me. Maybe because it adds a bit extra to the persona of the writer :).

[Freakums]

I dot aht sometimes. Peope, usually don;t understand me thiguh. Newfie accent, y'know?
sample: I d'at smtmes, peole usu dnstand' m'thogh. Newfie accen', eh, by?
I mader sure to coprrect spelling in that, btw.

I don'
y mind leet speak and all . . . I use it in RL sometimes to kid around with some people, really. I can rtead it just a sfast as normal words, anyhow.

[Baller]

I dont think that this internet slang is a problem. It is just a fun short way to type. Only computer nerds would use these out of computers.

[HinesDaMan]

Honestly, the only thing that annoys me is incorrect spelling and grammar use. I could care less about LOL, TTYL, etc., but if someone cannot spell correctly and types endlessly in the forum (cough cough Freakums), then I always get pretty pissed.

[Freakums]

he he I knoiw a few poerpel lioek you,. hines. Buit if i actually ewnt back and corrected my spelliogn, i woupldn;t have time to do everythign iw ant one the net in thwe short hour each night I ahve.
a short hour with a connectijn worse then 14.4 kps, mind you!
you ahve the problem in ym opinion, not me. Other peopek sghare that view, i understand.
afetra kll, I've done thios so long my typos are a part of my net persona!
just ask arkacia!
oif i actually made a 100% correct post, she would probably belioeve it wasn't really me!:re:

[HinesDaMan]

Look, I meant no disrespect, and I don't think that it has any measure on your intelligence (and yes, I do agree with you that my incessant need for 100% correct spelling and grammar is a fault), but I just have a tought time reading what you type, that's all. Sorry for sounding harsh

[supermario]

I think that the "new" spelling and grammar is just an evolution of sorts of the English language. Think about it, how many of us use "thy" and "thou" in everyday conversation (or any conversation). However, this was commonplace in the 1600s to use this language. The "new" rules I think are just taking contractions to an extreme, and although sometimes annoying, they have saved me a lot of time.

(Yay, my first serious discussions post... so proud of myself)

[Freakums]

no offense taken, hines, otherwise they'd be a WHOLE LOT OF OTHER PEOPEL I'D HAVE TO TAKE OFFENSE TO.m (ooosp, caps lock)
meanwhiel, i found a very interestign statitic on words in ther english language.
today, per enlish speaking person, (in engliosjh speaking countries) we have an average of 60000 words in our vocabularys.
but justab quater of a decade ago, we had an average of 100000 word in oiur vocabularys! if you go back to up to a century ago, that rises to a peak of 150000!
hmmmm . . . . . .

[cheese is so good]

txt msg talk is gd cus u can type less but its ios a bit stupid dat its only like 1 word less!!!

[Dot O'Rock]

\/\/007 y3 s4y1|\|g? 4ll 73h c00|_ k1|)5 7yP3 l1|<3 d1Z!1111!!1

:rolleyes:

That is the plague of the Internet. Leet-talk. Sure, I've been known to use it on occasion, but I use it as a joke. There are people who use that all the friggin' time :|

As for "txt-msg-spk" , I've been known to use some of the abbreviations while chatting (i.e. OMGLOLBBQ! :D ), but I'll be darned if I ever let them slip into something written in "real" english.

I dunno, I'm finnish and I'm proud of my "good" english spelling/speaking skills. That's why I like to "show them off" by writing understandable english instead of "w00t, howz u den boi?"

[Freakums]

leet talk, if taken to extremes, merely hurts the eyes and corrupts the spellign of young morons.
some it can be understandable when playing certain games ie, pwned instead of owned when playing some FPS, but a lot odf people whom use leet speak don;t even play said games. . . . ..
I believe i once reached the conclusion that leet speak is only reallu used by peoipel who are socailly insecure and desperatly want to be accepted, through some logical means . . .. of course, that wopuldn;t be without exception, thoguhbn wioth nvery little exception . . . .
kinda drifting off topic here, so I;'ll stop.

[Arkacia]

It does'nt, it just makes them think it makes them look cool :D.

Personally, and maybe because this is because I'm one of the "older" generation, I can't understand leet speak, and usually don't bother trying to decipher it. I feel if someone wants me to read and understand their message, then they'll use english, not gibberish, and if they are using gibberish, then trying to read their message is'nt worth my time or effort.

[HinesDaMan]

I think I just hate it because I refuse to leave it alone until I can read the message, and then am disappointed by the wasted effort to read "Hackers Rule!"

[pollovivo]

Gotta agree with you there :D Breaking the bizzare code of online lingo is addicting AFAIK (yeah, I do realize what I just in in this thread) I do hate getting stuck trying to figure out what somebody just said

[Freakums]

hmmm . . . I gotta tricjk for youi guys . . .
glance over it very quickly,
the huiman brain, iof the siad himan has read enough, eill only read the length, first and last letter of a word. Thus, it becomes much easier to read the leet speak. espeaciailly since letters are replaced by similar characters.
if you actuallyt look at thew word and read it, your brain tries to understand the whoel thing, so you will have a lot jmore trouble . . . . .
of course, that doesn;t really help for when leet speak is mixed with other forms of net speech . . . which it usually is . . . .

[Arkacia]

That also does'nt work with your typo's because you frequently change the first or last letter making the word very hard to work out :D:D.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind your typos, but too many make it very hard to read and understand your posts, so please do try to keep them down to a resonable level :).

[damagedchild13]

I have noticed how much people use abbreviated words when they are writing TXT messages, in chatrooms and forums. Things like "Wat r u doing?" , "I c u h8 that", "LOL", etc are so commonly used I am wondering what sort of effect this is going to have on children who read it.
Many people know the correct spelling but shorten what they are writing to make it quicker and easier, but what about the people who read it and don't know the right way to spell some words?

I think in the future (could be 5 years or 20 or more), teachers are going to notice more students with spelling problems because they have been exposed to so much incorrect spelling from a very young age.
I'm wondering whether this will be a small problem or a world wide epidemic in the future, what do you think?


I've found myself writing alot worse since about 4th grade when i started going on the computer in chat rooms and etc. People have become lazy!

[Freakums]

*blush*
sorry! i wilkl ke4ep that in mind, arkacia!

[Skeletor]

just an article i thought you mind find interesting people :) http://channels.lockergnome.com/windows/archives/20050425_email_readers_iq_going_to_pot_study_says_ messaging_more_harmful_to_iq_than_marijuana.phtml

[Mick]

Don't always believe what you read on the net:)
Marijuana harms people in many ways. It's not just the physical effects that are bad, there is a lot of damage done to the mind which is not talked about as often as the physical damage. Much of this damage is done before the user finally realises what is happening to them.

[Skeletor]

yeh yeh it can cause shizophrenia etc etc, but that is the topic for another discussion, whilst i agree slightly with your view point i beleive that there are far more harmful drugs that are legal ;)

and you say not to beleive what you read, but this is the result of study with 1000 people...

of course with a different 1000 people the result could be entirely different.
i only posted the link for information sake, not because i beleive what they say or anything :)

[Mick]

yeh yeh it can cause shizophrenia etc etc, but that is the topic for another discussion, whilst i agree slightly with your view point i beleive that there are far more harmful drugs that are legal ;)
You are so right about that;)

and you say not to beleive what you read, but this is the result of study with 1000 people...
that does give it more credability

of course with a different 1000 people the result could be entirely different.
i only posted the link for information sake, not because i beleive what they say or anything :)
I wasn't trying to critisize it, just that it makes dope seem harmless with a comparison like that. I was just making sure that people didn't think that this news meant it was ok to use drugs because that is wrong. :)

[Skeletor]

Apologies, it was not my intention to in any way condone the misuse of harmful drugs, nor would I recommend them in any way shape or form as an alternative to msn or irc :) mind you which is the more addictive?? hmmm food for thought lol

[yarnellcg17]

I noticed in the late 90's Television Networks I'll give CBS as an example would not use proper capitalization.. a title for example before that occured Everyone Loves Raymond..now after everyone loves raymond What is that going to teach our children when they see that and they are thinking ok.. I live in Scotsdale, Arizona..no no that not right as I seen it spelled it should be scotsdale arizona instead..

[Mick]

Thats a good point as television is very influential in many childrens lives, if they see it on TV they're not likely to doubt it at all. After all, television networks should know better.

[JsWoman]

They should definately know better. Part of the reason I don't watch the news or any other tv shows that I wouldn't find appropriate for my daughter to be watching, (at least while she's around) since she's of the age where she is like a sponge. Soaking in everything that she sees so she can form her ideas of her world around her.

[Arkacia]

I've just looked at the birthday list on the main forum page and noticed that not one name down there started with a capital letter. That seems to be a new thing on forums these days with some of the younger members. They don't use capitals, punctuation or paragraphs.

Is it some sort of new fashion for them to do this, or is the education system of whatever country they come from not teaching how to read and write properly anymore.

[Freakums]

Well, for me, it is mostly the writing too fast, but you'll notcie that even if I don,ty correct my mistakes, i still use punctuation, capitals, and paragraphs!

I would say kids just don,t care. liekm me and my typos.

[yarnellcg17]

I'm very picky about my spelling and grammar


http://ece.uno.edu/images/teacher_cartoon_ani.gif
Kids today need to take more time in it..pay attention, alot of employers look
at your work on applications and your resume.

[donkey720]

i just use normal spelling cause i it takes me longer to write in text talk

[kid]

I have noticed a decay in witten english over the past three years as an instructor IN the Royal Australian Navy. Concerned with this fact I asked my trainees why their spelling was so bad. Apparently it is acceptable for students to spell phonetically during class work and during examinations. As long as the teacher can understand what the student is trying to say then they do not lose marks for incorrect spelling. I noticed that alot of my trainees used text abreviations and believe that that is the correct way to spell particular words.

[yarnellcg17]

I use abbreviations..but that is what I learned in school..
I know in any military.. world wide..acronyms are used alot of times..
and alot those have filtered out into the civilian world..basically
I see other type acronyms being used..and those are computer related ones..

[JsWoman]

I think it doesnt help, too, that kids, today, are always on the computer misspelling everything, to make the typing of their messages shorter. Just my opinion. Anyone else, agree??

[yarnellcg17]

I agree..Kids need to be taught the way we were taught.. and that is properly

[JsWoman]

Shouldn't be allowed to just get close to what it is. Be right on, or have points taken away for incorrect spelling, and when their grades start slipping, more and more, they'll get the idea, quick enough.

[yarnellcg17]

Yeah..we had to do essays if we got 40% and redo a test..that made ya learn and fast..but it was for our own good

[Mentos Fresh]

Ah, just the thread to establish a rave in! :p

I try my best at all times to be coherent on the message boards I frequent. I guess one might call me a grammar nazi; I'm known for pointing out every grammatical and spelling error in desultory posts by endorsers of the 'Leet Speak'. When someone types out something so abbreviated, imbued with unintelligible text, it prompts me to simply skip that post. It makes one sound illiterate.

I've just looked at the birthday list on the main forum page and noticed that not one name down there started with a capital letter. That seems to be a new thing on forums these days with some of the younger members. They don't use capitals, punctuation or paragraphs.

Is it some sort of new fashion for them to do this, or is the education system of whatever country they come from not teaching how to read and write properly anymore.
Indeed. I thought I would quote you and say that this is exactly the same opinion as mine.
I hope you don't feel any malice towards me for this...
Is it some sort of new fashion for them to do this, or is the education system of whatever country they come from not teaching how to read and write properly anymore?
That was a rhetorical question. The fact that it's rhetorical has no relevance, but it was a question, therefore it requires a question mark. :p

[yarnellcg17]

Basically what it has become is a generational in thing.
From 1990-99 I had seen more things slack off as the technology of things enhanced more of our daily lives, then it was between 1970-79 or 1980-89.
Even in the 80's you still saw a dotting of I's and crossing of the T's.
Teachers are doing their jobs, I have seen a higher set of mandates implemented over the years and even with those implements came the technology of computers in school a far thing from what I ever had, but still even with that, there is no reason to abandon the things you were taught properly to do in the first place.

I cannot imagine any future President of the United States or any future Prime Minister of a country using this method.

i c u on 2 ne 1 here in the world want to talk cos i m bored

The day I see that, maybe the day I stop going to the ballot box :rolleyes:

[JsWoman]

But then you have to think about all the new technology. Kids, these days, type all their papers on a writing program, and those all the grammar and spell checks. Because of that, kids arent made to learn it quite as well as the previous generations.. (This coming from an almost 24 year old.)

[yarnellcg17]

True..but thank god for spell check:D I know I use it alot when I feel I need to look and see if I have it all down right :angel2:

[JsWoman]

Yeah, but they don't even attempt to have it all correct, they just leave it to the computer to find all their mistakes. Don't think that will help them, that much, in the future. Just my opinion.

[yarnellcg17]

No..computer is not the overall answer when it comes to doing things that you should have learned on via a teacher and on paper and pencil.

[JsWoman]

Yeah, I agree with you, there. I know that the computer is a great tool, but it isn't the end all be all that they seem to think it is, these days.

[yarnellcg17]

Glad you agree.. alot of the older ways are still always going to be here in place..don't ever really think that it should be replaced by a computer..

[JsWoman]

No, it shouldn't be replaced. It should be there, and have the help of the computer, after the basics are learned, and they have a good grasp on their writing and grammar, and sentence structure.

[donkey720]

i just can't help writing properly i just don't like using text language

[devil.child]

I'm 14 and, while I still have a typo or two, I actually try to make my grammar and spelling legible. I don't see why people talk in TXT TLK, because it just takes longer to read and instead of just typing out the word it takes longer to reach up and hit the number keys. It doesn't make sense to me.

I use spelling check where it marks my mistakes but I have to change them myself, showing me where i tend to make them.

[mobikenobi]

considering on the statewide writing thing i kept using things like u i definitly believe it is becoming a problem and just needs careful revision.

[Ninva]

Teachers are going to meet many students who have problems reading. I for one, still have difficulties. The reason is that I was never taught properly how to read or write. I'm am now crippled slightly, but it doesn't bother me for I can still do many other things that people who have gone "beyound" me can not do.

[leachrode]

Although I do occasionally use this sort of language while on the computer i find it easy to detach my internet life from my real life that i don't do things like this in real life. The only abbreviation I use in real life is the and symbol.

[sassyangel04]

I have watched my 15 uear old daughter typing messages and to say the least ,she types really fast.
But when I read what she is typing I have to pause for a moment to understand some of the things she is trying to say because of the crazy spelling.
I have often wondered the same thing about if the future teachers will have a problem correcting this "TREND" the young ones today have taken on today.
Even though she types like that online or in txt messages,she is still good at spelling though.

[sassyangel04]

But in their defense,it is sometimes easier to shorten words

[Chameleon]

I have noticed how much people use abbreviated words when they are writing TXT messages, in chatrooms and forums. Things like "Wat r u doing?" , "I c u h8 that", "LOL", etc are so commonly used I am wondering what sort of effect this is going to have on children who read it.
Many people know the correct spelling but shorten what they are writing to make it quicker and easier, but what about the people who read it and don't know the right way to spell some words?

I think in the future (could be 5 years or 20 or more), teachers are going to notice more students with spelling problems because they have been exposed to so much incorrect spelling from a very young age.
I'm wondering whether this will be a small problem or a world wide epidemic in the future, what do you think?

I think the accepted spellings will change as a result. Not saying they should, but they will. 20th Century English (insert language of choice) will become as archaic as 16th Century English (insert language of choice), most likely.

[tinmanwcf]

again its just that people are lazy and everything is so fast paced today