Even after studying linguistics and accepting that change in language, and its use, are led by the man in the street and his laziness, not the professor at a university with lots of leather-bound books, I still feel something is very wrong with reducing language to its leanest form.
I can understand the time and space constraints that create the need to write "txt msgs", but I struggle with the idea of writing emails, letters, etc. that way.
Then again, we feel quite comfortably to say it's ok to write won't, can't or shouldn't've, 'cos we've grown up with it for yrs... I'm sure our grandparents roll their eyes in much the same way as we do now...

I've actually had to read papers for work that were written in text-speak as it's so-called here. I don't think I've ever been so close to giving up on the human race. Well okay I have, every three weeks or so I find a new reason, but I think when the awfulness of this mutilation of the English language becomes somehow mainstream enough to have a name there's something very wrong with the way things are going. Of course, every time I log in here, I have to deal with seeing an infinite number of grown adults who don't know the difference between 'your' and 'you're'.

Reasons like this are reasons why I'm so sure had we been in close proximity of each other in real life we might actually have a shot of being non-virtual friends! You, honestly, are amazing.

I had an odd discussion with my mom about technology stuff as she kept bugging me about getting voice mail. I don't see how picking up the phone pressing ten buttons to listen to your messages is an improvement on the flashing messages button on a little box next to the phone. It does have the advantage that voice mail can take a message while I'm on the phone but I get like 3 calls a week. I say rock the garfield phone.

Your sheer angst for humanity leaves me feeling warm inside Does that mean I shouldn't send you a Myspace friend request????

I am stuck with damnable texting, although I refuse to use retarded symbols and abbreviations. People seem to be upset at the fact that I text complte and grammatically correct sentences, If it pisses off the masses, it is good times for me

Nice phone

this video has nothing to do with what i'm gonna say lol.

myspace and facebook are not a substitution for awkward social interaction.

My college students actually turn in papers to me with what I call "textese". I've had to outline IN MY SYLLABUS that papers and submissions must be in standard American English with complete sentence structure and no abbreviations unless approved by me. It's disgusting. If I don't give them specific parameters for this stuff, they will actually, like, put things into, like, a coversational structure as if they were, like, talking to their friends or something. (re-created for effect -- I don't actually write things that way unless it is for demonstration purposes. These kids do it because no one has told them not to) The whole idea of compacting our language to the lowest common denominator makes me ill.

I've pulled up stakes from the freebies like Myspace and Facebook. It's amazing how much riff raff a small annual membership fee will weed out. SG is really my only social networking site and even then, I keep my friends list to around 50 by design. That reminds me, it's probably time to do some housecleaning of the friends list.....

Man... I could have used you last night. It was my sisters 21st birthday yesterday(we aren't close at all). But, trying to a nice big sister helped her as she was so drunk at 7 that I had to get her dressed for her birthday party with our family. It was a mess. I kept ordering her virgin daiquiris... not that she knew. So once I felt like she was a little bit more sobered up, we went out to the bar. It was going ok, she is on all kinds of meds, anti this and anti that. So she shouldn't really be drinking all that much anyway, but its her 21 run, right?

So around 11 these, oh so typical "frat/jock" boys show up... that she of course invited We were at a bar that my friends own, and have good friends who are the bartenders and security, so I could tell them to make her really light drinks. When these guys showed up they started buying her shots, trying to get her shit faced. I walked over to talk to my sister and this guy grabbed my shoulder and told me to mind my business. I kindly asked him to remove his hand from me, and told him that it was my business as she was my sister, and at this point she has had plenty to drink. The other guy the proceeded to call me a fucking bitch and said that it was ok for him to talk to me that way because I am so rude, and my sister hates me anyway, so why don't I just leave. Um, ya! Almost got into a fight, but my dad and boyfriend decided that we should just leave instead.

Granted if I see him again, it won't work out that way for him.

"my Garfield phone"

that's awesome!

There was a story in the British press a few months ago about a school that had to fail 75% of it's ENGLISH exams because they were written in text speak. I don't even answer text messages that R wrtn lk dis n e mor. It drives me to distraction!

It's too early in the morning for me to talk about technology and society in a serious manner. I haven't had coffee or cigarettes yet. But you can look forward to a length comment later on today, I'm sure.

I think you're right about the selfishness of the "suicide is selfish" argument. I think someone on the thread brought that up.

I also wanted to trash all the talk about "energy is never lost, just changed" and other New Age crap. The statement is true, of course, but I can't stand when people misapply science to metaphysics and other philosophical areas. It's the same shit the postmodernists pull that makes me want to stab some bitches.

The joke is an old one, but I still find it humorous when I hear it.

No, I don't have a pokin' stick, as are neither rednecks nor dangerous snakes about, and it would just be something I'd have to carry. The worst I'm likely to meet is a family with children or a garter snake. I'm not really afraid of garter snakes. Children maybe.

You may reach me on my Opus Phone..

Ok, I guess it doesn't require a long comment. It distills down to, "Technology has always changed the ways in which we interact with others."

Don't get me wrong; as someone who's living depends on his mastery of the English language, I'm not fond of text-speak and the rest. I'm a big fan of proper grammar. Yet English is a living language. It's not Latin, frozen in time, but constantly changing. Even more so than most languages. I'm certain the English language we speak and write now will be as incomprehensible to people 500 years from now as Chaucer's language is to us*.

It's the nature of the beast.

It's also the nature of the beast for each generation to think things are changing for the worst in regards to language and culture. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

(Also, I'll be having wet dreams about you tonight. Kidding. You know the antidepressants make that nearly impossible.)

*Generally speaking, that is. I can read Middle English, but I'm aware that most people can't. They can barely read Modern English.

P.S.

You are going to so many different level of hell for falling asleep during The Dark Knight. SHAME ON YOU! Though you d get points for enjoying it, and wanting to buy it on DVD. I've seen it 4 times now and I think I'm done. I just can't bring myself to go see it anymore, so that might make me a bad person.

I love you!
I totally thought about you when I saw Bjork.
She was amazing as always.
Come play with me!
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