Does texting dumb down the English language?

[partisan]

^ especially when you consider that there texting each other!

[colinmackay]

I thought this was somewhat relevant given the hurried and rushed nature of text messaging and txtspk:



With all due credit to XKCD: The Pace of Modern Life

[colinmackay]

I don't mind texting shorthand, but don't let it influence the rest of your communication. As a heads up to the teens and 20-somethings here...

I'm an employer, and I review all the job applications for my business. I can't believe how sloppy some of them are. (More now than 15 years ago.) Applications filled out in pencil, with poor spelling, punctuation and grammar go to the bottom of the stack. The applicants may be fine potential employees, but I have to start somewhere. Attention to detail is an important part of most jobs, and if someone can't be bothered to put the effort into their application, why should I put the effort into reading it?

You only get one chance at a first impression. Just sayin'.

I've seen my fair share of CVs. I was once hiring for a software developer position and the applicant had written "Good attention to detail", yet he had also capitalised "SQL Server" in different ways. He'd also written ".NET" (there's supposed to be a dot in front) differently throughout the CV. It seemed to me that he didn't have that much attention to detail otherwise he'd have decided on a style and stuck with it.

[SolemnBoy]

aaaaah y r u guyz not gettin it txting does NOT ruin languages r u stuuuupid or wat plz y r u doin dis!??!!?1+1+11+?!!

[artyboy]

lol people have always moaned about this problem, remember reading about the older people moaning about how English is dieing back in the 1920s lol!!

Its nothing new lol!

English is changing get over it lol!!!

[MisterTinkles]

Idk cud b.

wat u thnk?

[artyboy]

hmmmmm you what?

[MisterTinkles]

hmmmmm you what?

OMG! Srsly?

LMFFAO

I dont know, could be.

What do you think?

[Wade]

I'm with Stephen.


.....cause he's like... super smart.

[MisterTinkles]

I'm with Stephen.


.....cause he's like... super smart.

Yes, he is a genius.

But the thing is, HE understands the structure of language. These other people do not.
If you know how to correctly spell and pronounce, and even define the words you are using, then taking shortcuts is acceptable.

Its the idiots that cant be bothered to learn correct language. The ones who dont know the difference between "there", "they're", and "their", or how to spell simple words like "with" or "white", which are usually spelled "wit" or "wite". And these idiots dont even know the difference between "axed" and "ask"!

Those are the ones most of us have problems with. Not the ones taking shortcuts, but the true idiots that are just too stupid or lazy to understand the language they are supposed to be speaking or writing.