"Textspeak" ;

I have unlimited texts but each has a limit of 160 characters - with Virgin Mobile. I notice that my GD, who used to use textspeak, now uses ordinary English, presumably because the predictive text tells her what she wants to say!

I don't have a limit on the length or number of texts that I send. Used to but that changed some time ago for me so I wonder if it has changed for everyone?

less characters , lower orange bill .

Why?

Cheaper also to use textspeak .

Look at the length of most contributions on here. They could be texting length (except for mine!)

I've just read an article in yesterday's Telegraph that includes the paragraph:

"My theory is that the brisk style we use for text and emails has affected the way we speak within the family, with deeper and more relaxed conversations becoming rare"

but, come to think of it, why can't we have a [gin] emoticon????

Gosh Bags you need a new spellchecker [gin]

I'll let you know how it went down....

anago for it rotfl ..

I learnt Pitman's shorthand and once we were proficient we stopped putting in any vowels. I can read textspeak but I don't find it aesthetically pleasing.

nellie - wonder if I should try that last out on DD?

I could read both, but have spent a lot of time teaching children with special needs! I agree, I think this is about having fun with language.

KK thx 4tht bags gr8 msg pmsl

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.)

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!

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.

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.

Agreed. Many thx.