Txt Spk – How Technology & Laziness is Ruining Our Language

Let me get something straight: I don’t claim to have 100% perfect written English, 100% grammar, or 100% spelling. You will probably even find some mistakes within this article. However, one thing which has REALLY started to annoy me in recent years is the shorthand text speak which so many people seam to adopt when communicating via the written word these days. It’s bad enough when people do it via mobile phone text message (although there is a slight excuse there because typing using a phone pad is more awkward than a computer keyboard), but when they do it via e-mail as well, that’s just totally ridiculous.

The type of errors I am talking about are:

• Use of numbers in place of words: m8 = mate, gr8 = great, 4 = for, 2 = to/too
• Other abbreviations: Im txtin u 2 c if u wan 2 cum out 2nite
• Lack of punctuation: Hi m8 we r goin out 2nite u wana cum 2 jimll be there 2 u know an so will ben hey tell u wot y don we meet u outside the lion at 7 an well all go 2 the club from there hey u gonna bring some draw wiv ya 2 cod I ran out an I got no money left hey can u buy me drinks tonite 2

That last example combines all three, and is so difficult for me to read, in fact, it’s actually painful to even attempt to read it. It may be quicker to type, and maybe even considered “cool”, but it just doesn’t flow like properly constructed written English.

There are so many people out there with access to technology which could enable them to express themselves beautifully via the written word, and I’m sure they would feel somewhat helpless without it, and yet they never seam to want to take the time to construct something worthwhile to read.

Countless times I have sent well-constructed, expressive, well-thought-out e-mails to friends, and received in reply just a few words which have all of the above three features, and sometimes I think to myself, “why do I bother?” Nobody else seams to want to take the time. It’s the text equivalent of attempting to have a decent face-to-face conversation with someone but each time you say something to them all you get is just a few badly-thought-out slang words and grunts in reply.

Why don’t people want to express themselves? Why do people insist on only using the bare minimum of effort in their written creations?

I will tell you why: Laziness, plus the convenience of technology. People don’t like putting any more effort into something than they have to, and technology allows instant results, instant sending of messages. It wouldn’t be like this if it had to be sent via the traditional postal system, because you would know it could take up to a week to get there (sometimes longer if Royal Mail has anything to do with it).

So, to all you lazy typists out there, I would like to say to you:

Don b so layZ go typ som real txt like a gud person shud u make me sick wiv ur 1234’s instead of your won-too-free-for’s yo get a life m8 like now yeh?