OMG and 'Like' - Impact of technology on language

New thread. Too much of a derail for a D Day thread that should be kept on topic out of respect IMO.

Originally Posted by grh1904

I think it's become representative of the society we live in today where everything is said along these lines:-

"Like OMG!, the olympic flame was like being carried by Jedward and like these old people wanted the news to like have some coverage of some dead people who like kinda fough in some other like foreign country who don't even speak English like; I mean who really cares about some dead people like, what did they ever do for us like???".

I write this after a conversation at the weekend with my 16 year old neice, she's doing her GCSE's & finishes school in a week or two before going to 6th form in September. She showed me her year book where all her friends had written in it & it was just like above like, you know I mean like, OMG!, it's just like that (even the teachers wrote like that!!!).

Everything nowadays has to fit in with social media/social mobility/farcebook/twitter/Jeremy Kyle; and if it doesn't then....................................

I would also like to take this oportunity to say "THANK YOU", may those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to give me the democracy, freedom of speech & freedoms that I enjoy today RIP knowing it was a job well done.

A newborn child is a blank canvas GRH. If there's something important that you dont approve of about your niece, that says more about your brother/sister/in laws.

I know what you mean about education and if she is incapable of writing properly when doing a piece of coursework, her study notes, or writing a CV, etc, then thats an issue her parents should have cared enough about to realise it and ensure it was rectified. Writing OMG and 'like' in her yearbook is just trends and peer pressure. Just like we might have said 'Cool' or 'Dude'. Technology just brings it to our attention. How much of your written work did your Aunts and Uncles see when you were her age? Mine was all on paper in foolscap binders, the only people that looked at those was my teachers and my parents. Nobody but my friends and the occssional teacher when I was caught saw notes passed round the classroom.

If we had had access to the same technology as kids today, would our casual messages to our friends be any better?? We all spoke in slang as kids, and adults shook thier heads. Technology now encorages kids express themselves in writing!

LOL

[flymo]

I think the context and intent of a piece of writing has more influence over its resulting style than the technology used to create it. 'Text speak' was probably influenced by the relative difficulty of typing quickly on the older, multi letter, keyboards on early mobile phones and of course the text message character limit than anything else.

Writing style in a school yearbook would differ wildly from that used in a formal report, or personal letter, or even an email. Likewise the intended audience and level of formality would alter the choice of style.

In a place like this forum, its the generally accepted norms that influence the style that should be used. If we were all 15 year olds then I'm sure it would be a very different posting style, but it isn't and therefore that mostly explains the reaction that 'text speak' receives in this medium.

I don't have a problem with it provided that there's a point to it and it suits the medium used.

[dizzyblonde]

Text speak, wasn't ' shorthand' like our version back in the day?

I prefer to read a block of text written with thought. In this I mean, its ok to have a bit of grammatical slip up, or spelling mistakes, rather than have an interpreter on hand to figure out what the someone is writing. To me, there is a difference between someone who is genuinely lacking in education or has a problem such as dyslexia......but an apparent ignorance for either the reader or the language written, is a disgrace to society, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by flymo

I don't have a problem with it provided that there's a point to it and it suits the medium used.

No, me neither, so long as it's used between themselves on email, facebook, MSN, text, etc. It's the cool way to write, it's a trend, and they want to fit in with their friends and do the cool thing.

So long as they know how to and when to write properly, and they do so.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

To me, there is a difference between someone who is genuinely lacking in education or has a problem such as dyslexia......but an apparent ignorance for either the reader or the language written, is a disgrace to society, in my opinion.

Agreed on the ignorance thing, but that's about inappropriate use is it not, not the slang itself?

When we used to say something was 'Def' or the 'Shiz Nits' or 'Spazzin' adults looked at us like we were speaking a foreign language too.

The number of thick ears I got from my Dad for sarcasm like 'No sh*t Sherlock' or 'Nice play Shakespeare!'

[flymo]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

When we used to say something was 'Def' or the 'Shiz Nits' or 'Spazzin' adults looked at us like we were speaking a foreign language too.

huh?

I think 90% of kids that use txt speak CAN also write properly, they just choose not to.

There are varying degrees of ability but most of them are simply to lazy to take the time. Put them constantly in environments where "proper speak" is the norm and they will conform to that instead. I've seen it on plenty of forums where the txt speaker's points get ignored time and again and their posts criticised due to illegibility. Eventually they write properly, or at least close enough to satisfy all but the most virulent grammar nazis.

As for dyslexia, Somehow everyones parents managed to learn a half decent ability at writing without the aid of a spellchecker, You would think legible sentences at least would be possible with it.

+1
There is a time and a place for it and I think most people would recognise the suitability based on their environment and choose to write accordingly.

We used to speak "pig latin" in my school years, parents and teachers didn't have a clue what we were on about (or so we thought) but speaking it didn't mean we simultaneously forgot how to speak English. Osa hillca utoa ouya ldoa itga

[flymo]

Originally Posted by Owenski

Osa hillca utoa ouya ldoa itga

everna eensa hatta eforeba. mia tudyingsa ncryptionea taa heta omentma osa aughtca yma nterestia

akesta omesa ettingga sedua ota henwa eadra ubta peakingsa tia sia ropperpa sayea