Even before I owned a computer and had started surfing the net I had run into internet speak. At first I had no idea what “addy” and “prolly” meant, then when I began using the net and seeing them spelt out I understood. I didn’t like it when I first heard it and it has not improved with age. At best it sounds like a feeble attempt to make oneself sound significant through usage of jargon familiar only to those in know; at worst it sounds like simple laziness.
So what's the big deal. Why get so uptight about something as insignificant as that? Don't I have anything better to do then be some sort of elitist asshole coming across like everyone's worst nightmare of a grade school teacher? What real difference is using "prolly" instead of probably going to make in the world?
To be honest probably not much. On an individual basis its more pathetic then harmful. I can't help feeling sorry for those who believe they are obtaining some sort of status by using this shorthand. If it gives them some shred of self-importance, no matter how misguided, then it's not even that bad. The problem is a little more serious when it comes to the issue of laziness.
Language is the basis for thought. Without language we would not be able to form or articulate complex thoughts. Words are the basis of language. The way in which we utilize words, string them together etc. form the basis for our means of communicating. The more articulate we are the easier it is for us to express ourselves.
It only follows then that the simplification of language would result in the simplifying of thought. Continuous use of short forms and catch phrases result in the eventual loss of the ability to absorb or create complexities. Once this nadir is achieved responses becomes limited to reacting to blunt stimuli. No longer capable of, or willing to, understand we turn to simple solutions. Answers that call for the least amount of effort on our part.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
Yr prolly right, AFAIK, OTH, IMHO, I cld be wrng. LLT. IDNK, really.
"The fault, Dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings"
2 - Sunny
Internet speak is such a pet peeve of mine! I absolutely can not stand it when someone spells "though" t-h-o. I hate IMO, IMHO, and all of the others. And on a related topic, I hate it when one choses to purposely misspell a word. Spelling "cool" k-e-w-l, for example. Why would anyone do that? I also hate using numbers for letters: I'll talk 2 U L8R. It's cute when it's on a license plate, but not when you are actually trying to communicate!
3 - Aaman
Yr not 1337
4 - Gregg Guetschow
Thanks for some interesting observations, gypsyman, regarding the relationship between the use of language and capacity for rational thought. The Internet is an interesting medium in that it is both a form of traditional formal written communication and also a hybrid of writing and informal oral communication. Some of your criticism of its use of language finds its basis in the latter usage. But how different is that from conventional speaking practices? We often use linguistic shortcuts as a part of conversation; this alone does not impair one's ability to use the language properly or expertly in its written form. The danger, however, is that we are increasingly abandoning formal written communication -- we read very little and we write even less -- in favor of media that are predominantly oral. It is here that the danger lies in terms of our ability to use language effectively for increasing understanding among people. Your prescription, particularly if implemented by the blogger audience, has merit in forstering better communication practices.
5 - visualsimplicity
I believe the use of contractions would be a sign of laziness too. It is also a simplification of the English language. Your argument might be stronger if you do what you preach on all levels.
I am not a grammar/spelling Nazi though (only on some occasions with certain pet peeves). Just wanted to point out a flaw.
6 - Josh Coppersmith Heaven
Just to point out what you said yourself.... The way in which we utilise words, string them together, gives us the basis for communicating. Just like the fact that its not how many neurones you have in your brain, its how you connect them that makes path of thought, and its not the chords you use, its how you connect them that make the music..... The words we use can be modified, bastardised, shortened, elongated.... THey're still the same words with the same intent. the radical change in thought occurs when we change the way we form our sentences (And, more obviously, change what we say). 'What a lovely day' can be 'wat a lovly day' and still carry the same message. 'today the temperature is 23 degrees centigrade with minimal north-easterly wind and scattered cloud formations' however has a slightly more clinical ring to it, even if you said 'tday th temp. is 23* with min. NE wind n scattered cloud formations'