Text Messages

[Crossover]

Completely agree, I can't communicate in "txtspk".

I rarely type stuff in text speak, as with predictive it's generally easier not to. I will shorten words though if I'm about to go over a text limit (I'm still PAYG)

The one that used to annoy me though was a couple of managers from the company I was on placement with last year used to put "pls" instead of "please" in emails...is it really necessary to do such things in company emails?!

Another funny T9 gag is to type the word "Smirnoff" and see what you get

Haha - nice one! It is like the whole taking the c off chips thing :P

*Now ponders how many people who have snazzy new phones are wondering what all the fuss is about Smirnoff *
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Ah, that brings me also to another point, which I'm well aware of as I have an iPod Touch.

With anything Apple you appear, by default, to not be ill or for nothing to be like hell, as actually it will think you're I'll and that everything is he'll...

 

[HST Power]

I have an ageing Motorola C115 (which I had to look at the phone to find out). It works fine, is light, robust and simple to use. Nothing wrong with it, so I won't get another one until it breaks. Yes, it's a Pacer Phone!

I used to have the Motorola V8. My parents on the other hand both have the L6 (which also in its own way could be depicted as a 'pacer phone!')

I now have an Iphone (on PAYG) but truth be told I wasted my money. It's made out to be the best thing since sliced bread but at the end of the day I hardly ever used 90% of the apps I downloaded. Calling and texting is all I need!

 

[passmore]

Lol am i the only person that can’t get on with text messages. What happened to phone calls?. I gave someone me wife’s mobile number to call me. What do i get a bloody text message. After 15 mins trying to do one back i gave up. Lol

Text messages themselves are fine. The problem, to me at least, over the last decade has been the rise of 'text speak', and the intrusion of the language into everyday English. Text-speak has been considered, by and large, to be an acceptable alternative to writing the proper word, eg '2' instead of 'too' or 'u' instead of 'you'. Some would say languages evolve and this represents it and we should accept it, but to me all it represents is sloppiness and laziness and is hardly relevant to an evolution of a language, much less representative of one.
I own a brick of a phone. It doesn't have any of these fancy apps but it does have text messaging capability, and I communicate to one or two of my friends every so often via text. I'm not saying those that text should stop relying on 'text speak', but I do think a line has to be drawn when using it away from phones.

 

[HugePilchard]

Let's not forget that 'txt spk' has been around for longer than the mobile phone! Telegraph operators weren't adverse to using it, and it wouldn't surprise me if it's been used for other things where sending each character is laborious.

But yes Passmore, you're right; there's no excuse for carrying on using it when you've got a perfectly good keyboard in front of you.

Oh, and as for people talking about the spirit level apps for the iPhone, I have actually used one. A picture wasn't level, and I couldn't be bothered going to find my toolbox, so I thought I'd give it a go. I downloaded a free spirit level app, and... it was utter rubbish.

Some of the better apps do have a calibration function built in, but you need to put the phone on a level surface to do that.

How do you know if the surface is level? Hmm. Better go and find my spirit level...

 

[thefab444]

'2' instead of 'too'

You'd be suprised at how many people don't know the difference between "to" and "too"! Whether this is down to there only being one 'txtspk' version I don't know.

 

[WestCoast]

You'd be suprised at how many people don't know the difference between "to" and "too"! Whether this is down to there only being one 'txtspk' version I don't know.

That is one I notice everywhere: people don't know the difference between to, two and too

 

[sutty]

My only objection is text-speak creeping into other forms of communication. I'm not sure why people get so wound up by younger people texting, however.

I you're trying to criminalise people for doing something which all humans do, and that's communicating. There can be wrong times to send a text and some people (of all ages!) are rude with it. I've not been a teenager for a while and I still text a *lot* as it's a means of talking to lots of people without having to call all of them.

Apps? Been around *much* longer than any of the current phones. Doesn't anybody remember midlets?

 

[LE Greys]

Let's not forget that 'txt spk' has been around for longer than the mobile phone! Telegraph operators weren't adverse to using it, and it wouldn't surprise me if it's been used for other things where sending each character is laborious.

But yes Passmore, you're right; there's no excuse for carrying on using it when you've got a perfectly good keyboard in front of you.

Oh, and as for people talking about the spirit level apps for the iPhone, I have actually used one. A picture wasn't level, and I couldn't be bothered going to find my toolbox, so I thought I'd give it a go. I downloaded a free spirit level app, and... it was utter rubbish.

Some of the better apps do have a calibration function built in, but you need to put the phone on a level surface to do that.

How do you know if the surface is level? Hmm. Better go and find my spirit level...

Worked the other way, sometimes. It's impossible to send punctuation by Morse, so words such as STOP, COMMA and QUERY were very common, and EYE for I, because I looks like 1 and was used sometimes. The trick with telegrams was dropping unnecessary words, because they were charged by word rather than letter, so "I will be arriving at Waverley on the twenty-second on the Flying Scotsman. Please send your car to meet me. Regards, Joe Bloggs" became WILL ARRIVE WAVERLEY TWENTYSECOND FLYING SCOTSMAN STOP PLEASE SEND CAR STOP REGARDS BLOGGS. The "please" cost an extra ha'penny. If the telegraphist cut out a few vowels, it could produce some bizarre results because of mishears. Gerald Durrell claimed in one of his books that he received a telegram saying MESSAGE REPLIED REGRET CANOTOB VARY GREEN BALAS WILL HALF PIPE DO

 

[Zoe]

It's impossible to send punctuation by Morse

No it isn't.

Period: .-.-.-

Comma: --..--

 

[HST Power]

That is one I notice everywhere: people don't know the difference between to, two and too

I do occasionaly make that blunder, not often though.

 

[SS4]

No it isn't.

Period: .-.-.-

Comma: --..--

A period? This isn't America you know

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Period: .-.-.-

A full stop if you please

 

[WestCoast]

I hate "period" - it's a terrible saying when they say "blah blah blah. Period".

"End of" or "full stop" sounds so much better...

 

[LE Greys]

No it isn't.

Period: .-.-.-

Comma: --..--

Easy enough to hear AAA or CA for the first and MIM, ZM, GW or whatever for the second. I've never heard of either of them being used, but then I don't often get the chance to use Morse on someone who could read it.

-..- -..- -..-

 

[DarloRich]

I use texts because they are free on my tarriff and i am a tight northern bloke

 

[flymo]

-..- -..- -..-

How dare you sir! Pistols at dawn you blaggard!!...

 

[Hydro]

I use texts because it's easier to ignore people once I get bored of speaking to them.