"Textspeak" ;

Perhaps those who object have never needed to send a text in a hurry.

I have. On mountains, for instance, where the signal is not reliable.

Mind you, modern phones with predictive text obviate the need for quite so much textspeak. Some is still useful though.

I don't object. I pick and choose. I do use U quite a lot, but would never use l8er - just as quick to type 'later'.

As far as I am concerned its just plain lazy and illiterate! Do these regular uses actually know too write properly when they need to?

Not all illiterate people are lazy.

That's funny, Nellie!

Yes, it is! I missed the joke first time round. So used to seeing typos on GN, u c.

I thought the "sad old dear" who thought LOL meant "lots of love" was David Cameron, Gracesmum?

Amongst others Mamie.
I'm happy to say my life is not so rushed or frenetic that I do have time to write proper words especially to my friends and people I value.

And me!

Bags. I've only just found this topic and you've got company! I'm shoulder to shoulder with you.

Of course language develops and adapts it always has done. These abbreviations are for fast, throwaway texts. That's all.

They amuse me. I find them (usually) witty; gr8 = great is perfectly clear, and it's faster. It used to be cheaper too but that's changing.

I find "thx" more friendly, less stuffy than "thanks". Or maybe some might say that "thanks" is unacceptable, it should be "thank you". Certainly when I was at primary school in the early 1950s, "thanks" was seen as an unacceptable Americanism. Are we resistant to all change, at all costs? I hope not. All that matters is clarity, getting your message across. That's my view

Funnily enough my younger son, now age 21, gave up all textspeak when he was about 15. Conscious decision by him. He disapproves, thinks it's sloppy and never uses it. I think he fears it'll disadvantage him if an employer ever spots him using it. Shame that the young are under such unnecessary additional pressures.

I'm happy to say that the people who value my ability to write good English, also value my ability to take good English's piss once in a while .

I've refused to textspeak since the beginning.

Which, of course, is just fine and dandy. No-one has to use textspeak.

Agreed. Many thx.

I don't use abbreviations much, as I am a fast touch typist and when I first joined I found it difficult to work out all the DGDs etc.
I appear to be the only person who cannot send texts. I have a ten year old mobile phone, cast off by one of my grandchildren. I can receive texts (is that the same as SMS?) but when I try to reply I find I can't press the keys fast enough to get past the first letter.

Jargon is my bugbear. I sometimes ask for advice about my computer, or programming my Humax Freesat box, and although people on the various forums which I use are very generous with their time, they will talk to me in jargon. They might as well give me instructions in Sanskrit.

Greatnan I don't have a mobile phone and have never tried to send a text on Mr absent's phone. In fact, I don't use his phone at all since I destroyed the last one.

isthsallthereis I'm afraid it wasn't obvious to me that thx signified thanks. It could just as well have been thinks or quite a few other common words. I suppose the context helps but I don't think I could be bothered to learn these abbreviations.

My older sister indulges in her own version of text speak usually leaving out so mant vowels they are intelligble! It's quite unlike the text speak the kids use. Even her daughter has given up trying to read them!

Bags I am not saying genuinely illiterate people are lazy.

Text speak is a particular style, a dialect even and a silly fashion. I feel it is a lazy way of communicating! Deliberate illiteracy if you like!

What worries me is that it will just seep into everyday usage and become the norm.
Our English teacher Ariadne though is clearly more tolerant than I am (and probably better able to see the whole picture.)

I use it and find it useful , if I'm out and about and its a quick 'query' text.. but tend not to if its more of a 'chatty' text. I find it painstaking reading through a long explanatory text and find it much quicker to read when its short sharp and to the point and text speak helps to shorten messages making them quick and simple. I've had to get used to it as all the grandchildren use it and I'm sure they prefer the short sharp message too.
I don't use it when typing or writing that would seem really weird to me its strictly for a touch screen .
Greatnan you can take as long as you like to write a text message my MIL of 85 takes about half an hour to write a short thankyou message to send but she gets there in the end.

That should read its strictly for a touch screen or button mobile.

Arapneplty ftify pcrenet of ploepe wlil be albe to raed tihs eislay. I'ts autclaly qtiue hrad to wtire lkie tihs. If pollpe wnat to tnihk txet is lzay so be it. I lkie to be trenalot adn see teh fnu sdie of sfutf.

Apprntly 50% v ppl wll b abl 2 rd ths easily. Is actlly qt hrd 2 rite lk ths. I lk 2 b tolerant + c fun side of stuff.

Which is easier? Anything in it? Maybe the people who don't like textspeak are th same people who have difficulty reading jumbled words. Scientific wondering; nothing personal.

I struggled with 'trenalot', but got it in the end!