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11 January 2012

Strange Language

Isn’t modern written language strange? For the most part I can understand the reasoning, bearing in mind that the cost of texting demands that we abbreviate words, but when I come across blatant misuse I get slightly miffed. What is the point of all that English language education if we don’t use it?

I guess Kids R Us and Toys R Us are gimmicky ways of promoting themselves, I mean that’s a case of ‘once seen, never forgotten’. Kids do remember, I only hope they also remember what their teachers tell them.

Using the word heart instead of love amazes me. I guess it’s an attempt at humour, or maybe it’s merely a way of expressing a feeling but surely ‘I heart you’ doesn’t have the same impact as ‘I love you’. Can you imagine a couple in the throes of courtship, embracing each other with the words ‘I heart you, darling’. Still, this is about the written word not the spoken one but am I right or wrong in thinking we write as we speak. Yeah … Ooops!

And then there are words like hugz. Why change the s to z? It’s not even text speak so where’s the sense in that … it doesn’t even save a space when texting. One that made my blood curdle, and raised this whole issue in my mind, was a sign seen recently over a new hairdressing salon …. Fanci Stylz …. I kid you not.

14 comments:

  1. Okay .. your post was fun and thought provoking, but it all made me start singing the old BeeGees song
    It's only words..
    ..... You think that I don't even mean A single word I say
    It's only words and words are all I have .....
    To take your heart away

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  2. I think the aim these days is to be "Gimmicky", "Different" and to see how one can out-do all the others. Could post, Val.

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  3. I soooo agree with you, Valerie!

    In fact, when I first started my blog (back in 2006), whenever someone left me a comment and would use abbreviations, such as, LOL, OMG, or TMI, I had no idea what they were talking about - HA!

    It's funny how technology (as great as it is) has forced us to condense words so that we can squeeze them into a sentence, faster and more efficiently. Yet, it's also causing us to forgot how to spell and write in full sentences.

    GREAT post, dear lady! Brava!

    Have a terrific Thursday!

    X

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  4. lol...yeah it is interesting deciphering the language.

    idk - i dont know

    it also inhibits terrible grammar for functionality...

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  5. Ron, I was the same, and I still don't know what TMI stands for...grins.

    Brian, it's all so sad. Language is a beautiful thing, it's a shame to ruin it.

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  6. I don't know whether I have OCD but whenever I text I have to type everything out in full, with Capital letters where needed, commas, full stops, etc etc. I guess I'm just old school. :)

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  7. I like your style, Pearl, and much preferred.

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  8. Oh, I am SO with you on this. I understand text speak being useful - even necessary - on phones, but it annoys the heck out of me anywhere else!

    As to the 'witty' shop names etc, I tend to deliberately pronounce them phonetically, according to the rules of English (such as they are), so that 'Fanci Stylz' would become 'fanci' with a shortened 'i' as in 'its', and 'Stylz' would rhyme with 'stills'. Although since I'm learning Italian, I'm fighting the temptation to make it 'Fan-chee Stills'.

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  9. It's a sign of the decline of the language. It's english for the lazy. Just try to use this "leet speak" on a résumé and see how far you get...

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  10. I try not to get too upset, I don't text or tweet, but It does get to me when I see kids all on there smart phones, and not reading a book...or even a kindle.

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  11. I agree with your post, however, I must confess that I use LOL, OMG, TMI, TTYL, etc. I insert smiley faces and winks sometimes too. ;)
    I'm not big on texting but occasionally use abbreviations there too, mainly because my phone is older and slower so it takes less time to shorten some words.

    So while I'm guilty of some strange language at times, I do try to not use it constantly with everyone I correspond with.

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  12. I'm with you, Val. It's all so sloppy. Perhaps you'll add this laziness/sloppiness to your list...

    'are you coming to mine or are we going to yours?'

    It drives me nuts.

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  13. Hi Mr.V. People say that all the time here. There are so many modern expressions that grate on my nerves and that's one of them.

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