txt spk filta

[Nailest]

You must have a big phone.

Or maybe a teeny keyboard.

[Jene]

what?!

[chrisecurtis]

Actually, to be pedantic, text speak evolved and is evolving for several reasons.

• To fit a meaningful message into the 255 characters allowed in most mobile phone text messages
• So you have to type less on a phone keyboard where you have to press tiny keys a number of times to get the letter you want

Neither of these considerations applies in nopesport, but according to a recent study ("Homo Zapiens" - by a Dutch professor Wim Zenders).

• to reduce the amount of brain power needed to allow multi-channel and multi-tasked communication (i.e. so you can talk to your friend, play a game on your computer, listen to music and text your other friend all at the same time - you need to simplify all these so your brain can do them all at the same time)
• To exclude people who are not part of your social group from the messages - apparently there are "dialects" of txtspk designed to stop people outside the group understanding, just as sports like orienteering have jargon - so you can tell who is an orienteer and who is not
• to have another thing that you can do that grown ups can't or don't want to!

Prof Zenders thinks that text speak and similar habits are signs of improved thought and communication, not signs of declining standards, though he does say that the most successful communicators are those who can adopt all the possible means of communication and do all of them well.
There we are, a free lunchtime tutorial in Masters level communication and cognitive education theory!

[Nailest]

I type the same way on my phone as i do on [nope] / other forums / msn

I don't text all that often, but when I do I use a different set of digits to those I use when I'm typing on a keyboard. It actually takes me longer to type in txt as I have to think about what the appropriate abbreviation might be, rather than just typing the actual word.

Using Word is a good idea. I tend to write my posts in notepad before pasting them across to the board. Gives a chance to proof them myself before they go off into the big wide interweb.

[FatBoy]

Prof Zenders thinks that text speak and similar habits are signs of improved thought and communication, not signs of declining standards, though he does say that the most successful communicators are those who can adopt all the possible means of communication and do all of them well.

Quite true I'm sure and maybe there's no official notice to support this, but this forum's in English. Like I said if I started speaking French on it some would understand and others would struggle and others would not get a word (peut etre parce que ma francais est mal)

[Jene]

yes, but it is different in a way because with french....there will be some people who cannot read it at all where as with text i would have thought everyone (or at least nearly everyone) can read it but it just takes a bit longer to decipher sometimes.

but i'm going to agree with that prof. Zenders..i'm adapting ( ) ....since i've been moaned at this morning i've pretty much used correct english....give or take he he

[FatBoy]

Maybe it's different but there's been a few times I haven't a clue what you're on about. I appreciate the improvement today though!

[Jene]

only a few times tho......if you spoke in french i'd never no what you were going on about.....like the time when a few people starting writing in swedish.

[FatBoy]

Yes you are right, and yes I am being picky. You get grumpy at my age what with all this work I'm supposed to be doing instead of reading Nope.

[Simon]

nope...microsoft word changes words automatically for you.....

Much more handy when you're writing a science based report and can't be arsed to type in the long words every time - that is definitely a place where Word's AutoCorrect is very helpful.

Or you write them in full once with an abbreviation. You then use the abbreviation for the rest of the way through your work. Thus confusing anyone who cannot remember the abbreviations you have used!

[chrisecurtis]

Abbreviations can also be used for evil purposes - Doctors are very good at this, so are teachers, solicitors and other professionals
e.g. PM = pushy mother, TTFN = too thick for Norfolk (i.e. very thick indeed), TAB = thick as a brick, DTM = drinks too much and the classic, general purpose PIA (work it out)
I do not condone such usage, of course, nor ever use it, but I have seen all these and worse in "professional" notes.

[Becks]

TAB = thick as a brick

Brings a whole new level to our loving nickname for those in the fens.

[Stodgetta]

SorryI'm late - been away on holiday and just found this thread catching up on what I've missed out on.
2 favourite abbreviations I have come across in hospital medicine:
T. F. Bundy (totally noped but unfortunately not dead yet)
and
NFB (normal for Birmingham)
Fortunately they were only used over the phone and weren't written in the notes!

Responding to Fatboys original thread - if I have to think about txt spk and it takes me longer to type than normal typing (and I only do it to teenagers on the mobile anyway), does that officially make me old?

[Jene]

yes

[FatBoy]

Older than me