A plea for full words

[smercurio_fc]

I'm probably going to get a lot of flak for this, like "lighten up!', or "look who got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning", or "what a prude", or "who elected him grammar Nazi", or "what difference does it make if the point is made?", or "you must also not like ain't", or ...

But I'm still going to say it anyway...

<START of soapbox>

u -> you
r -> are
b -> be
getn -> getting
ur -> your

etc...

Thank you.

<END of soapbox>

[JeffOverton]

For the record, I still maintain that "ain't" isn't a word.  The apostrophe means it's a negative contraction, so what are the two words?

[smercurio_fc]

Apparently, quite a few ...

[JeffOverton]

I would contend that all those potential expansions already have their own contractions

[smercurio_fc]

Well, I'll leave that debate for another thread...

[JeffOverton]

Haha, getting back on track here, are these people posting from their cell phones?  How much longer does it take to type "you" than "u"?

[smercurio_fc]

Don't know.

But I want to clarify/stress that I have nothing against these shortened versions. I just think that on these NI forums they just don't seem... I don't know... right. It's not like the NI forums are really social forums (with the notable exception of this one). They're technical forums where professionals post and ask questions, and these shortened versions seem well, ... less professional to me. Perhaps it's the history of how these shortened version came to be, giving them an attribute that some interpret that way .

But then, I'm just a user here, and I don't speak for NI or anybody else, nor am I asking NI to step in (or think they really need to). I'm just offering an opinion. People can take it or leave it. I'm not going to hold anything against anybody for speaking the way they want to speak. Thankfully, the US is still (mostly) a free country.

[altenbach]

Don't forget a/c. 😄

[PhillipBrooks]

<slang>u r b'n hrsh dood! dgypiab; i m here 4 hlp from teh l337 dawg</slang>

Translate here at http://www.noslang.com/index.php

I agree. Some of this started as a way of cutting down on the amount of keying and the size of text messages sent via cell phone, but please.... The NI forums are not a college hang out or dating site and you're almost certainly not reading or posting to the forums from a cell phone.

I generally allow one or two of these to pass, but I simply ignore posts where they are overused.

Its almost a guarantee that the shorthand you've sited comes from someone that hasn't taken the time to learn the tools or tried to solve their own problem and now is in such a hurry that they can't take the time to use complete words to ask for help. (basically lazy, twice-over!).

Some instances come from those who speak English as a second language, and I forgive these easily.

I guess its simple; "let the h4xrs & l337s hlp teh lzrs do hwk".

With respect to "ain't"; well...

I ain't goin' there!


Message Edited by Phillip Brooks on 07-25-2008 02:31 PM

[Ray.R]

we never did find out what is a/c, did we.

or in proper English.

we ain't not nowin' whadda heck is 'n a/c?

did I get that one right?  not being an Anglophone...  😉