What is the language of chatrooms and SMS?

[Tom]

Hi

I would like to know how careful you people (people careful about English) are with your written English when you write an SMS! Would you ever write an SMS like this one?

i wll cme b4 eveng. b rgt there!

Tom

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

Texting is not something I do but nevertheless it's a method of communication and before the creation of mobile phones, there were similar forms around. The only danger is when it flips over into real life!

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Passive Voice

[Tamara]

Hi

One of my last-year (ESOL) tutorials was entirely and specially spent on this 'dialekt' of slangy English.

To be more specific about the 'language': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_language
_________________
It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…

[Pamela]

When I send sms to my friends living abroad I never used "so-called" sms language. I'm afraid of getting accustomed to it.

[Yankee]

.
I don't send many SMS messages, but the few I send are somewhat shortened. HOWEVER, the "words" u and No chatrooom lingo, please! annoy me immensely, so I never use them.

[Pamela]

[Torsten]

I have found that people who write things like u, i, No chatrooom lingo, please!, rgrds, cu, etc. are sloppy in other areas of life too. When you compose an SMS message, you talk to a person. What are you trying to say by shortening words? That you are too busy to spell clearly? Or maybe you want to save money and time? Then why write SMS messages at all?
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

I agree. And these things also tend to be dangerous for ESL students because they end up being written in the wrong contexts simply out of habit.

One of the things that irritates me about using u and No chatrooom lingo, please! is that you're indirectly saying to the person you're writing to that they're not important. They're not important enough for you to spend the time to add a couple more letters.

I feel the same way about plz/pls (please).

Amy

[Prezbucky]

okay, I'll bite.

These are some of the "hey, I'm laughing!" renderings:

LOL = laughing out loud
ROFL = rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLMAO = rolling on the floor laughing my a** off
ROFLMMFAO = (figure it out -- as the dictionary would say, it's "considered obscene")
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[SkiIucK]

[Medeya2012]