Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

About typing English.

Scipio

Scipio

New Member
Why is it that I so often see people who speak English as their native language botch up their typing so much worse then those who don't have that luxury? For example...

"i wud liek 2 ask u wat ur thoughts r bout dis deck"

Why is it that foreigners rarely, if ever, type like this, yet Americans, British folks and Australians seem to enjoy doing this? I can't wrap my mind around it.
 
If you learn English in school, you are taught good grammar. In fact that grammar is drilled into your head repeatedly through exercises. If you grow up speaking it, however, you are a little less careless as the rules don't seem to mean as much.

Every Spanish class I take, I spell better than all the native Spanish speakers because that part of Spanish was drilled into my head in middle/high school
 
If you learn English in school, you are taught good grammar. In fact that grammar is drilled into your head repeatedly through exercises. If you grow up speaking it, however, you are a little less careless as the rules don't seem to mean as much.

Every Spanish class I take, I spell better than all the native Spanish speakers because that part of Spanish was drilled into my head in middle/high school
Click to expand...
Still no excuse. People need not butcher their own language with shorthand.
 
-Laziness.
-To hide the fact that they can't spell or use correct grammar.
-ZOMG LIEK U GUISE GET OFF MAI CASE!!!!1!ONE! IT LIK TTLY SAVS SO MUCH TIEM SO I CAN TLK 2 MAI BFF JILL~~
 
Maybe because if you don't have to think about typing in your own language you get sloppy.

If it is a second language you probably think about it and are more careful.

Confusing 'prizes' and 'prices' seems to happen a lot with the Europeans for some reaon. I always wondered why. But basically kudos for typing in another language in the first place.
 
baby mario said:
Maybe because if you don't have to think about typing in your own language you get sloppy.

If it is a second language you probably think about it and are more careful.

Confusing 'prizes' and 'prices' seems to happen a lot with the Europeans for some reaon. I always wondered why. But basically kudos for typing in another language in the first place.
Click to expand...
If you're regularly posting on the internet in your native language then you ARE having to think about it. There are no good excuses for typing like an illiterate monkey if you're capable of typing like a human.


I have a slide out keyboard on my cell phone, and I can't text very fast on it. One of the few times I think ignoring most rules of grammar and using shorthand is acceptable. However, it you have a full blown keyboard sitting in front of your face, I see no reason not to use it to its full potential unless you're just incapable of doing so. (General sense of the word "You," by the way)
 
Not making excuses.

I do think it's just people being sloppy because they don't think it's important whether or not they look like a backward 8 year old.

If it's a second language you are probably more aware of mistakes.
 
I think it's to do with learning a language from a young age, you get comfortable with it and try to abbreviate words.

Most people learn a foreign language from a teacher at an older age, usually to pass exams, and concentrate on using that language correctly because of that.

Do people use similar things in Dutch?
 
nnaann said:
I think it's to do with learning a language from a young age, you get comfortable with it and try to abbreviate words.

Most people learn a foreign language from a teacher at an older age, usually to pass exams, and concentrate on using that language correctly because of that.

Do people use similar things in Dutch?
Click to expand...

That's a good question, and somewhat true. Dutch folks tend to add a lot more slurs in their forum posts from what I see.
The thing is that it's rare to find foreigners trying to type up things in Dutch so it gets a bit harder to compare.
 
nnaann said:
I think it's to do with learning a language from a young age, you get comfortable with it and try to abbreviate words.
Click to expand...

This, combined with the terrible laziness of many kids in our world, who are obsessed with communicating as much as possible as fast as possible.

If they can cut a few letters out of a word and still get the same message across, most of them will. U was the obvious start, and it just got worse and worse from there, methinks.
 
^
Yeah, probably.

Now I wonder why I say "Yeah" instead of "Yes", considering the latter is the shorter. It's mainly because I talk like that in real life, but whatever.
 
i am usually okay with texting talk but i am okay with terms liek imo or btw because thos words are very comonly nown and ppl use thos words all the time wile online so they are ok but i am not ok with ppl tiping like this long run on sentence :)

See how annoying it is? I have seen worse typing than that... and it wasn't a joke. THAT is just sad. I find it ironic that most non-native English speakers have better grammar and spelling than most English speakers while online. I am fine with people misspelling words. Bad grammar is okay too. This isn't an English essay... unless you are writing reports, you shouldn't be proofreading your posts... unless you want to :) Commonly known terms such as "IMO", "LOL", "BTW", or "SPT" (Pokemon one ;) are okay... but when you make up your own such as "TIAVGA" (This is a very good acronym), that is just annoying. We do not have a character limit (unlike texters), so do not act like you have one. Capital letters and punctuation are not evil. If you are a really bad speller, keep a dictionary next to your computer. The only excuse to misspelling words like "the", "this", "it", etc is laziness. Also, try to learn the difference between "two", "too", and "to". That is 3rd grade stuff people. I respect most people on the internet and assume they have some form of education. I have yet to meet a person IRL who has failed the 3rd grade... but I have met many people online who I suspect to have failed the 3rd grade. Put some effort into your typing skills and you may get some respect from some people. If you mispeal a word, that is fine, but if you mispeal a paragraph, that is just horrendous.

Thanks for posting this, Scipio. It really just had to be said.
 
Hmmm, well I posted this on the beach awhile ago. Enjoy, you grammar Nazis.

Oh, and disregard the part about the mods. It's not relevant to the present discussion.

Box of Fail said:
Hi, I would just like to take a few moments of your time to solve some common misunderstandings about the English language. It is really a shame to see people who would otherwise get along be unable to converse with each other because one person thinks the other is stupid.

Misconception #1: There is an official governing body of the English language.

While Merriam-Webster may seem like a helpful resource, English is unlike many other languages in that there is no definitive source telling you what is and is not a word. The Spanish language is regulated by Spain's Real Academia Espaņola, and French has the Académie franįaise, but English is essentially a gray area. Considering that William Shakespeare coined hundreds of words and they are in use today, there is nobody who can rightfully determine that 'ain't' ain't a word. This also means there is no definitive list of English words.

Misconception #2: People who type in chat lingo are stupid.

Essentially every rational argument actually points the other way. No, it seriously does not make you seem sophisticated when you type perfectly. The point of language is not to sound cool, it's to be understood. And if you can't understand 'ill cya 2moro', then the stupid one is probably you. No, you're not just so above chat lingo, it's just so above you. As long as it is understood (which it can be by a reasonable person the vast majority of instances), it is more time and effort efficient, for pretty much no drawback.

idc what u do 2day = 13 characters
I don't care what you do today. = 25 characters

When you actually consider it, chat lingo is far superior to typing your words out.

Misconception #3: Ain't ain't a word.

Nobody held a council and decided "let's make a language called English!" English is the result of centuries of evolution; words were born, changed, and died out. And it's not done evolving. Universally intelligible words such as hey, yo, ain't, and even hi are all recent additions to our language (Thomas Edison invented 'hello'!) And they are perfectly valid English words - we all understand them, so why shouldn't they be?

Now, the simple issue that this board in particular has is the notion that grammatical correctness brings about superiority. There is a 'crusade against bad grammar' mentality that is simply absurd and will not help anyone.

To put it simply, people who type like this are not better than ppl who tiep liek dis. A college résumé is one thing, but on a message board, the goal is to post a comment that others can read. Chat lingo does that, and with less trouble so you can type more comments!

No, you are not more intelligent if you carefully check your spelling and grammar, you just spend too much time on something not very important. The moderation staff here is in on it as well. By looking down on people who simply prefer to do things the efficient way, one will build a false impression of themselves as super intelligent and carry this ridiculous grammar-snobbiness around with them. Meanwhile, mods with little to do decide to bring down warnings on things that absolutely do not merit them (spelling and grammar), just to flex their ban muscles and assert their dominance. Such a corrupt system with absolute disregard for the true purpose of English is one which needs to be reconsidered. So-called "atrocious grammar and spelling" do no harm and simply give mods another excuse to ban people for no reason.
Click to expand...


Honestly, the main motivation for dissing people who type in chatspeak, which is superior as it is more efficient, is simply snobbery. If you were to weigh the two, you'd realize that chatspeak is far more practical.

honestly the main motivation 4 dissin ppl who tiep in chatspeak, which is superior as its moar efficient, is simply snobbery. if u weighed teh 2, ud realize tht chatspeak iz far moar practicle

See the difference?
 
Last edited:
At times its okay if you use it, and I get annoyed when people are too lazy to actually TALK are annoying. Seriously people its talk not tlk....
 
Everyone Esplode Noaw said:
Box of Fail. Yes, your name is suitable.

i hte chatroom tlk bcuz it makez u luk liek an idiot not bcuz im bein a snob
Click to expand...
Merriam-Webster said:
Definition of AD HOMINEM
1
: appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect
2
: marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made
Click to expand...

So essentially your standpoint is what?

hao exactly duz tiepin liek dis make me luk liek n idiot?

Seriously, how? You just clearly demonstrated that you understand chatspeak. Typing something that everyone will understand, and saving time in the process? Where is the idiocy? I just don't see it.

EDIT: Saying it makes me look like an idiot is still ad hominem, even if you edit the part about my name
 
Box of Fail said:
Honestly, the main motivation for dissing people who type in chatspeak, which is superior as it is more efficient, is simply snobbery. If you were to weigh the two, you'd realize that chatspeak is far more practical.

honestly the main motivation 4 dissin ppl who tiep in chatspeak, which is superior as its moar efficient, is simply snobbery. if u weighed teh 2, ud realize tht chatspeak iz far moar practicle

See the difference?
Click to expand...

Underlined components of the top paragraph had the potential to be misunderstood.

Bolded components of the bottom paragraph were not shorter than their correctly spelled counterparts.

I'm with your argument. "Moar", "lulz", and "liek" are words in my own rendering of English. But they have different meanings from "more", "lol", and "like".

You can't deny that typing in proper English, while it takes more work, tends to be more secure in delivering its message, while there is a slightly higher risk of misunderstanding when you use abbreviated versions. And whether or not you like it, typing it all out proper sounds and looks far more sophisticated.

If you chatspeak in a chatroom I get it. The improved speed is actually worth something in that setting. But this is a forum. No one's timing you. No one's waiting on you. Contribute at your own pace. And please take the time to make it legible, readable, easily understood by all speakers of the English language instead of just those who are really good at deciphering your code (or passably good at code in general). I will unhesitatingly judge you based on how you present yourself here specifically because you've got the time to think it through and really decide how you're going to type.

I choose to abbreviate at times because I like to type how I speak. You'll get "'cause", and "meh" and whatnot. That's how I choose to present myself. If you present yourself with abbreviated incomplete messages, that's fine and that's your choice. But don't whine when I treat you and your logic accordingly.
 
I understand they were not shorter, it was meant to accurately portray the chatspeak that goes around in forums. Obviously, the chatspeak that floats around message boards is not perfect, so I took the time to paint as convincing an imitation as I could. But still, it doesn't matter to me if people type like that through force of habit - if you think reading 'sumthin 4 u' phonetically is 'decoding' then fine, but it's not rocket science and I seriously doubt your eyes don't automatically decode it for you. Generally, complex words that are not quite as commonplace are better left unabbreviated, except compounds, e.g. 'thruout.'

I don't approve of unintelligible chatspeak, but I honestly believe anyone claiming not to be able to read most chatspeak out there is either lying, or they haven't tried. And yes, another common argument used by grammar-driven elitists is that chatspeak doesn't show dedication to what you're typing. This is completely valid, but do you expect everyone who posts on Pokégym to put tons of preparation into their posts? I sure hope not.

Taking the time to type out your answer in proper English simply shows you are misallocating your time (or writing a paper, lol).
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top