Mar 12 08
The Irreverent Language of Text
By Dave Imperiale
Text messaging is destroying the English language. I question the manhood of my post 30 year-old friends when I get a text that says: “C u L8r!” I am reminded of the irritation of my 1980s parents when my friends and I overused the word “like” instead of pausing silently between words. Grown men should not be using the abbreviations of a 13 year-old girl.
I do have tolerance for women using this new abbreviated language when they’re being flirtatious. What’s really interesting is tone. I have relationships with women and their entire demeanor changes through the tone of their texts. Seemingly normal, sarcastic, hard edged women start hemorrhaging c’s and u’s and exclamation points and smiley faces. Respect for proper English – and their age – is forgotten.
My real concern is that the speed of this new world is going to ruin our language. Combine speed, the state of elementary education, and neurotic, irrational parenting…and we’ve got a problem. I give it ten years before high school parents start complaining that “ur” and “2nite” should be allowed in papers because their children are developing carpal tunnel from having to type so many letters.
Don’t get me started on IM, but over the past six months this language has completely trickled over into email. A few weeks ago I received a smiley face in an email from a well revered senior executive. I actually responded: “You are a 55+ year-old senior executive at a Fortune 50 technology company. Stop making smiley faces.”
I know it’s about speed, and I absolutely love text messaging because I don’t have to talk to people anymore. I appreciate the lack of time we have to waste and enjoy living a fast paced life with no boredom. If I was 12 and didn’t know any better, I would save time and think I was creative abbreviating words in cyber-dialect. That’s fine. Let the digerati have their hasty language. But teach them how to read and write the Queen’s English first.
C u later. .I.
I am glad SNPNetCommunicationsDotComBob has finally encouraged you to spread your cheer further and wider than your W. Village apartment.
Lookin forward to more of the same.
Good on ya, little buddy.
Completely agree, although sometimes it would be nice if I could get the ‘rents to text from time to time.
Looking forward to future posts.
CU L8R
i thought it was the “kings” english. or am i too retro. eisenhower was president when i was born. everything was done longhand. grammer and punctuation were as important as the content of a history paper. i can relate to your frustration when ignorance is so readilyaccepted it is commonplace. an english majors nightmare. fur sher.