Chatspeak, Cyberspace slang, Online Shorthand and Emoticons 1

[craigsboyd]

I felt that perhaps this would be a good topic of discussion here. It certainly makes an impression and has indeed affected our ability to communicate.

I will employ it from time to time, but my use is usually directly related to my familiarity with my audience, the relative importance/gravity of the subject matter I am addressing, and perhaps most importantly, the medium I have chosen to use. I also limit my use to the most commonly used, widely accepted, abbreviations and terms.

An argument could be made that this abbreviated form of communication speeds up the process of conveying ideas. One could also argue the the use of emoticons gives an added dimension to the written word and can greatly enhance one's ability to express feelings (we all know that certain words and sentences can have completely different meanings based on the emotion with which they are said or read).

There is, in certain circles (ever widening I might add), quite a bit of opposition to their use. Many very valid counter-arguments can be made about the drawbacks this type of communication poses, and the risks that surely exist should its use continue to widen. Some would go so far as to maintain that in the end it will only hinder our ability to transmit thoughts, feelings, and information. That it has already had a significant, negative impact on the internet as a whole and more specifically fora like this.

So what say you group? Worst curse to communication ever or just another tool to be utilized appropriately to express ourselves?

[sub]craig1442@mchsi.com[/sub][sup]

"Whom computers would destroy, they must first drive mad." - Anon​

[/sup]

 

[Dimandja]

The loss of facial expressions and body language wasn't born with the Internet. People got by just fine, for a number of years, writing letters to communicate thoughts and feelings.

True.

The erosion of writing skills coincided with the rise of Internet, in my humble opinion (I find IMHO sticky and shticky) . Maybe the proliferation of cyber-messaging curtailed creative writing. Or, people who otherwise would not write, started to write profusely, instilling their unique - and questionable - writing strategies on everyone.

Whatever the cause, where writing is limited, emoticons fill the gap. That's not to say that there aren't people who do use emoticons superbly, as a supplement to their already very good prose.

 

[AnotherHiggins]

Thadeus,


Dimandja,






John

You try to concentrate while staring down the barrel of a loaded Thnikaman.
-Strong Bad
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[craigsboyd]

Thadeus,

That made my day! Thanks.

http://www.sweetpotatosoftware.com

 

[Thadeus]

Thanks! Can't walk past a pun without taking a shot...

~Thadeus

 

[jwenting]

What I can't take is the widespread use of SMS shorthand as used by schoolkids in online communications.
I'm not talking here about abbreviations like LOL and RTFM but about people saying things like "Im fine, how ru 2day?" (and that's a mild example, about as much as I can still understand).

In my experience this practice (along with total disregard for grammar and spelling rules) is most rampant among Indian people (at least as far as IT related boards go) and the very young.
Maybe it can be traced back in part to unfamiliarity with the language but in that case why aren't they extra careful about their communications rather than way too sloppy?

 

[RodKnowlton]

jwenting,

Most of the SMS shorthand I've seen was in use on IRC years ago. Its use where there's a cost (typing time, screen real estate) for full, correct verbage is understandable.

For the same reason, the sacrifice of grammar to achieve brevity was common in the age of telegraphs.

Typing full words in emails and forum posts costs very little, so there's no reason for using shorthand, IMHO.

cul8r,

Rod

 

[wuneyej]

Emoticons and smilies are fine themselves, but many people (not so much on Tek-Tips) go way overboard with their usage. Like so many things in life, less is more.

I do have a big problem with other web forums that equate a "rolling eyes" emoticon with sarcasm. Since when does one roll his/her eyes to convey sarcasm? Way off.

 

[jwenting]

yes, use of abbreviations was used on IRC years ago but it's gone overboard these days with a younger generation which seems to think it's l33t k3wl or something like that...

As to sacrificing grammar for brevity that's OK with me, but more often than not it looks more like the poster isn't even aware of the errors.

 

[RodKnowlton]

The one that bothers me the most is "teh".

I know it's a common typo, but I'm seeing it with increasing frequency. When you consider that the average level of keyboard competence should be increasing now that keyboarding has been part of primary education for a while, some percentage of what I'm seeing has to be deliberate.

 

[TroyMcClure]

There was one of those email postings that gets passed around to everyone that had a sentence or two with every word badly misspelled, usually just via missing letters. It was entirely readable, though, which was the point. Our brains fill in the missing peices when reading such things. Same for the other senses.

However, our brains are not 100% accurate with this, and often the reverse works--our brains fill in and add things that aren't and shouldn't be there, but for the most part it works pretty well.

This is exemplified for me when I listen to Fox News or to NPR--Both stations give, in my opinion, very slanted readings of news events (especially political ones, but social as well) to the right and left, respectively. My brain filters out the ideological nuances presented from both sides and I can hear both newscasts and they end up sounding the same, even though the words and more importantly, attitudes, vocal gestures, sighs, etc, are very different between the two.
--T

 

[AnotherHiggins]

TroyMcClure!

I remember you from such educational films as, "Lead Paint: Delicious But Deadly."

There was one of those email postings that gets passed around to everyone that had a sentence or two with every word badly misspelled, usually just via missing letters.

I think the following is an example of what you were thinking of. Letters weren't missing, just rearranged. The length of the word is a key to your mind being able to decipher the words.

thread1322-945817

[tt]-John[/tt]
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[TroyMcClure]

...
And don't forget the ever-popular "Smoke Yourself Thin", that was some of my best work!
T