What is the language of chatrooms and SMS?

English as a Second Language What do you want to talk about?
1

Hi

I would like to know how careful you people (people careful about English) are with your written English when you write an SMS! Would you ever write an SMS like this one?

[size=150]i wll cme b4 eveng. b rgt there![/size]

Tom

2

Hi Tom,

Texting is not something I do but nevertheless it’s a method of communication and before the creation of mobile phones, there were similar forms around. The only danger is when it flips over into real life!

Alan

3

Hi

One of my last-year (ESOL) tutorials was entirely and specially spent on this ‘dialekt’ of slangy English.

To be more specific about the ‘language’: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_language

4

When I send sms to my friends living abroad I never used “so-called” sms language. :smiley: I’m afraid of getting accustomed to it.

5

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I don’t send many SMS messages, but the few I send are somewhat shortened. HOWEVER, the “words” u and ur annoy me immensely, so I never use them.

6

The same with me, Amy. I think it’s the distortion of the language

7

I have found that people who write things like u, i, ur, rgrds, cu, etc. are sloppy in other areas of life too. When you compose an SMS message, you talk to a person. What are you trying to say by shortening words? That you are too busy to spell clearly? Or maybe you want to save money and time? Then why write SMS messages at all?[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between two students at their university cafeteria[YSaerTTEW443543]

8

Hi Torsten

I agree. And these things also tend to be dangerous for ESL students because they end up being written in the wrong contexts simply out of habit.

One of the things that irritates me about using u and ur is that you’re indirectly saying to the person you’re writing to that they’re not important. They’re not important enough for you to spend the time to add a couple more letters.

I feel the same way about plz/pls (please).

Amy

9

okay, I’ll bite.

These are some of the “hey, I’m laughing!” renderings:

LOL = laughing out loud
ROFL = rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLMAO = rolling on the floor laughing my a** off
ROFLMMFAO = (figure it out – as the dictionary would say, it’s “considered obscene”)

10

Hi, long time, no see :slight_smile:

Tom, this type of expressing is known as “1337” (leet) and is often used, besides in SMS, in computer gaming communities.

11

Hi,

Actually, I think it’s normal that people use shortened words in SMS.Because it’s just look like the style of SMS writing,so you write an SMS not an essay.For example, you all use abbreviations when you write on forum,e-mails, and so on, is it look like offensive thing? No, I guess, then why u, ur in SMS are abnormal and offensive?

Secondly, if person is so busy with his work or in a hurry and has to write short SMS, I think everyone can understand it.But that person wrote message though he had a lot of work to do, yes? I think, it could be very offensive if the person hasn’t replied you, ignoring that he had lots of work.So, it’s better to get short message than getting none…I can understand if the person is busy, but he remembered me and wrote me or replied, would be very nice.

We use SMS for to communicate with people when it’s very important,I mean when we want to talk to someone we just invite her home, somewhere and talk as much as we want.If the person in abroad we can communicate via mails, chats.