Do you write in full English or use text speak when writing text messages on your phone?

[Mr Allen]

Topic.

It's more expensive because of the character limits, but I use full English on mine.

Anyone else?

 

[kay]

I have a flip phone, but still no text speak for me. Barely ever text, flip phones are so tedious for texting. Didn't even know it was called text speak. Is that everywhere or just England? I also punctuate and make sure to capitalize properly.

 

[Lichi]

I am probably gonna sound bitter now. I prefer writing the full word grammatically correct. I can’t. Simply can’t, talk to a person who doesn’t find me worth that half of a second to properly spell out a word. I find it disrespectful and get offended if a person starts off a conversation in slang. This does of course not apply to people who don’t have English as a first language and misspell or shorten words because of that.

 

[Nervous Rex]

I write full English. If I use text-speak or slang, it won’t sound like me.

I understand slang, but have always deliberately avoided using it, even as a teenager when everyone around me was using all the popular slang. I just never felt like I could pull it off.

 

[Misery]

Yeah, I write in full as well, even on a phone. On top of that, I always check the message BEFORE sending it.... no bad autocorrect errors coming from my side of the conversation.

It doesnt take THAT bloody long to do those things. Yet so many people seem to find it to be too much effort anyway.

 

[Suzanne]

I find text form "writing" to be a crime. I just cannot stand it and think it makes the language look sloppy and so, I write in full, but I am a fast texter and so, it is no issue.

 

[Bolletje]

Full English and/or Dutch, depending on who I’m texting. I despise text speak.

 

[Progster]

Full English. With proper, correct punctuation and grammar. Always.

However, I rarely use my phone for writing. Keyboard too small, I'm all fingers and thumbs and keep hitting the wrong key. It's bad enough trying to write on my desktop keyboard let alone trying to use a phone.

I detest autospell or autopredict features. They are more of a hinderance than a help. I have them disabled on my phone and I only use manual. I realise that they can help people with dyslexia or other disabilities to write, but for me, expressing myself accurately and correctly in writing is extremely important, I have high standards for myself and it is just not acceptable to write and post/send messages with sloppy spelling, punctuation and grammar. I am tolerant of others who have genuine difficulties in spelling and writing, or whose mother tongue isn't English, but unfortunately, the truth is that for most people, a text without clear paragraphs, correct punctuation, poor spelling and grammar is hard to read and understand and will fail to communicate effectively, and not do that person justice - posts or texts with poor spelling, punctuation and grammar tend to get ignored, simply because they are hard to read and hard to understand, and not because anyone has anything personal against their author. That might not be fair for people with dyslexia or other disabilities, but it is the reality.

 

[55853]

At what point does it become "text speak"?

You used a contraction ("don't" rather than "do not"). You've used acronyms and slang in previous posts (e.g. "WTF?!", "IMO", "innit").

That's not full English (neither is how I'm writing). I only use full English in formal writing. I never use it on forums/social media or texting/other messaging platforms. It's not because I can't, it's because it's really inefficient for casual conversation.

 

[Misery]

At what point does it become "text speak"?

You used a contraction ("don't" rather than "do not"). You've used acronyms and slang in previous posts (e.g. "WTF?!", "IMO", "innit").

That's not full English (neither is how I'm writing). I only use full English in formal writing. I never use it on forums/social media or texting/other messaging platforms. It's not because I can't, it's because it's really inefficient for casual conversation.

Text speak is something like "U come 2 my house 2nite 4 dinner?" Lots of missing words replaced by single letters or numbers, bizarre spelling changes because it's "convenient" and things like that, and omigod I'm going to stab this computer if it doesnt stop lagging the stuff I'm typing here.

*ahem*

Sometimes it goes even further, like "house" might become "hse". Yes people actually do that.

Anyway, it's a bit of a difference, I think, than how any of us are typing here.

 

[WildCat]

Depends on the person and place, as long as the message is clear...that's all that matters. If I need clear Oxford English, I have no problem asking for it and I'm sure the person on the other end won't have a problem with that. Or would they?

I make exceptions, posting in forums like this for example, but it's not something I overthink otherwise.

 

[Destination Unknown]

I rarely type texts anymore. I use the voice recognition option. That feature probably won't do text speak. Mine phone writes out the full words you say, and the punctuation you tell it. It will probably do a lot more than that, but I've never read the directions.

 

[The mighty Boosh]

Bit of both but I'm a lazy typist

 

[Ezra]

Usually full english and I'm concise.

 

[Aeolienne]

I am probably gonna sound bitter now.

I can’t. Simply can’t, talk to a person who doesn’t find me worth that half of a second to properly spell out a word.

It pains me to point out that you are not abiding by your own high standards.

I always write in full English, and having worked out how to do foreign characters on my phone I sometimes text or post to Facebook in other languages too. If I'm on a computer I use Gate2Home for the latter.

 

[Lichi]

It pains me to point out that you are not abiding by your own high standards.

I always write in full English, and having worked out how to do foreign characters on my phone I sometimes text or post to Facebook in other languages too. If I'm on a computer I use Gate2Home for the latter.

I never said formal English. As far as I know both these words are acknowledged correct grammatically in an informal sense. If was referring to spellings such as “cuz” or “whr”