English: Part of a text written in Gregg shorthand, in English, from John Robert Gregg’s book “Gregg Shorthand. A Light-Line Phonography for the Million”, 1916, page 153. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Textuage is Gregg shorthand for the 21st century/textuage S Gregg shrth&
4t 21st century. I should know – I learned how to take dictation in shorthand and transcribe the squiggles back into English. The website lingo2word translates textish into “plain” English and English into textenese. Before I discovered the website, and at a lost when textuage was the language of choice, I bought a book, aimed at tweens, that gave the basic emoticons and textish with some of the more colourful expressions edited out.
I still need the website and handbook to negotiate my way through facebook conversations. My less-dumb-than-my-first-cell phone has txtng capabilities, but I’m still on a very large learning curve. To me, it’s like a secret code for those in the know; a rite of passage for the those who passed the initiation. Lingo2word has quizzes to see how good your grasp of textuage is; I won’t tell you my score!
Trouble is, I’m torn. As someone who, for almost 20 years, helped students improve their writing and analytical skills, the abuse of the English language bothers me on some levels. But in the 142 character universe, something has to give. I find the similarities and the dichotomies between this written and unofficially codified language and spoken English interesting. There isn’t quite the line between spoken and written that separated the two forms of communication in ancient Rome; but if you listen closely, you can hear the slippage into a new English based on textish (or txtsh).
And, as a language, it simplifies the writing, but doesn’t resolve the issues of words with multiple meanings, or words that sound the same but aren’t spelled the same. In cases where the textish version is uniform, the meaning may not be. As a neophyte this confuses me the way folks learning English as a second language have difficulties. Being cognitively challenged these days, I will forget as soon as I’m told what an emoticon or textish statement means. Hence, a website and tween book is essential!
For example, I thought btw was by the way – makes sense. But, it can also be “translated” as between. Context, context, context; but can that be established in 142 characters? So watz a pRsN
lk me, unfamiliar W txtN 2 do? Especially, when Lingo2word seems to apply a pattern of lower and upper case letters for what reason? I know ALL CAPS is yelling or for emphasis, but within a word? Sigh. Back to my tweenie book for help, lol. (laugh out loud – how I mean it; lots of luck; lots of love; lost in London?; last in labels? Please feel free to add your own!)
I refuse to use most of those abbreviations, and refuse to read them on FB. Especially since they increased the number of letters you can use.
Of course I do have exceptions. If I’m sending a text and I’m a couple of letters over…I will change the “you” to “u”….and I will use LOL or ROTFL….because it’s just so well known, and the first time I saw ROTFL and found out what it meant I just died laughing. So it really does mean Rolling On The Floor Laughing, for me!
and one more I do use a lot. When I’m chatting on the computer and I have to step away real fast I will use “brb” for “Be Right Back”
I just refuse to allow people to abuse the English language like that. I had to use proper English, why shouldn’t everyone in our school system?
And yes that opens up the can of worms about people not speaking English who live here. But, it they go to school here, they should be taught English. IMHO (in my humble opinion)
If I moved to a different country I would expect myself to learn their language. Although from what I understand many Americans don’t.
Arrogant Americans.
: )
I’m really tired, and for the 5th time, wordpress has eaten my extensive comment — so I give up on getting reply to you after an hour of trying tonight — maybe tomorrow the wordpress gods will look favourable on me and not eat my words!
I agree with you on lots of points/levels, and my take as a former teacher on the decline of the englist language!
ciao!
Aye yi yi yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
translation: I am older than I thought.
I’m always a year younger or older than I actually am. That’s just numerically! Physically, I am about 110, mentally 5 or 6 years old, on a good day, around my 12th birthday, lol (meaning laugh out loud, though I have been lost in London).